No Pokemon Can Stop Them
by Miroku-Girl
Summary: Join Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu as they travel to new towns and gyms. But, there's some trouble going around the world of Banto, and Team Rocket isn't causing it! Plus, meet the new characters Yuri, Kuro and Chikara as they join Ash, Misty and Brock. P
1. Chapter One

Chapter One  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Pokemon, except the ones I made up (you'll know which ones). So, read and enjoy! Don't forget to review!!!  
  
"I'm so hungry." Ash complained as his stomach growled.  
  
"I'm so hot." Misty added as she began to fan herself down with her hand while holding Togepi at the same time.  
  
".and I'm so lonely. I need a girlfriend." Brock finished as he sighed.  
  
As Ash, Misty and Brock walked into the town of Pallet, they began to look around.  
  
"Let's go to my house. My mom probably has some food cooking already." Ash suggested.  
  
"Alright!" Misty and Brock agreed at the same time.  
  
"Pika! Pikachu!" Ash's yellow electric Pokemon, Pikachu, cried as he jumped onto Ash's shoulder.  
  
"Shouldn't you call your mom first? I mean, just to let her know we're coming?" Misty suggested.  
  
"Good idea. About the best one you've had in a while." Ash teased. Misty punched the back of his head as a punishment.  
  
"Now, where to find a phone?" Brock asked whoever was listening. He spotted a payphone by a restaurant close by.  
  
"Does anybody have any change?" Ash asked as he dug around in his pockets and back pack for 50 cents.  
  
"No, sorry. Well, let's start walking over to your house. I'm sure your mom won't mind if we just drop in." Misty said.  
  
"Right." Ash agreed as he started to walk in the direction of his home.  
  
When Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu reached the Ketchum residence, they walked up the stone path to the front door.  
  
"Mom, I'm home! Misty and Brock are here with me, too." Ash greeted as everybody walked inside, only to find the house silent and empty.  
  
"Mime! Mime! Mr. Mime!" Mrs. Ketchum's one and only Pokemon, Mr. Mime, cried as he ran up to Ash. He pointed in the direction of the open back door.  
  
"Is she out there, Mr. Mime?" Ash asked as he put his bag on the floor. Misty and Brock did the same, and followed Ash outside.  
  
"Mom? You out here?" Ash called out. Mr. Mime tug on his sleeve and pointed to the house next door. "Over there?"  
  
"Mr. Mime!" was the reply.  
  
Ash began to walk through the backyard to get to the house next door until he felt something hold him back.  
  
"Ash, what are you doing? We have to use the front door." Misty said as she stood in front of him.  
  
"Oh, right." Ash shrugged. He turned and began to walk to the front door.  
  
As Ash rang the doorbell, Misty and Brock stopped behind him. A man opened the door.  
  
"Can I help you?" the man asked politely.  
  
"Sorry to bother you, but is my mother here?" Ash asked.  
  
"Ash, honey? Is that you?" Mrs. Ketchum asked as she walked to the front door.  
  
"Yeah! Hi, mom!" Ash greeted.  
  
"Come on in, Ash!" the man said as he opened the door wider.  
  
"Ash, I'd like you to meet our new neighbors." Mrs. Ketchum introduced.  
  
"Hello, Ash. Delia's been talking non-stop about you and your Pokemon journey." a woman said as she held out her hand for Ash to shake. "My name is Beverly, and this is my husband Derek."  
  
"I'm Ash. These are my friends Misty and Brock." Ash greeted as he shook Beverly's hand.  
  
"We have a daughter who's a Pokemon trainer as well. She's right upstairs if you'd like to meet her." Beverly said.  
  
"You bet! Thanks!" Ash replied.  
  
Upstairs, Brock heard singing. Ash and Misty also heard it.  
  
"It's such a beautiful voice!" Brock said as he began to blush. He cupped his hands together and listened to the sweet sound.  
  
"I think it's coming from this room." Ash said as he stood in front of a closed door. He opened the door slowly.  
  
"Hello? Is anybody in here?" Misty whispered. Ash opened the door more so they could see if anybody was in there. The girl in the room saw Ash, Misty and Brock, and gasped.  
  
"Don't you know how to knock?!" she yelled as she threw one of her flip flops at the door. Ash closed it just before the sandal could hit them.  
  
"Talk about your privacy!" Misty said as she took a deep breath. The door suddenly opened again.  
  
"I'm so sorry! I thought you were my parents. I've been really stressed ever since we moved. Come in!" the girl invited. Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu walked inside the light blue bedroom.  
  
"I'm Ash. These are my friends Misty and." Ash began.  
  
"And I'm Brock! I must say, you are by far the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Brock introduced as he grabbed the girl's hands.  
  
"Lay off, Romeo." the girl said as she took her hands out of his. "Oh, yeah! My name is Yuri." said the girl with light blue hair. She was wearing a black short shirt and baggy green khaki pants with black flip flops. Well, minus one flip flop.  
  
"By the way, here's your other shoe." Ash said as he handed Yuri her other black flip flop. She just blushed and took the shoe from him. "So, your dad says you're a Pokemon trainer, too? What Pokemon do you have with you?"  
  
"Let's go outside and I'll show you." Yuri said as she walked to the window and jumped out.  
  
"Hey, wait!" Ash gasped. He walked over to the window and jumped out after her.  
  
"Ash!" Misty said as she followed.  
  
"Hey!" Brock said as he jumped last.  
  
Outside, Yuri was getting her PokeBalls out of the side pockets of her green khakis. Ash brushed his jacket out of the way and grabbed his. Misty and Brock dug through their own bags and found theirs.  
  
"Here we go!" Yuri said as she put only 5 of her PokeBalls in between her fingers. She threw each one in the air. The Pokemon came out as: Charizard, Flareon, Typhlosion, Entei and Moltres.  
  
Misty let all of her PokeBalls go, revealing: Psyduck, Staryu, Poliwhirl, Goldeen, and Corsola. Brock revealed: Geodude, Onix, Zubat, Vulpix, and Pineco. Ash threw all of his PokeBalls in the air, letting out: Bayleef, Bulbasaur, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Noctowl, Snorlax, and of course, Pikachu.  
  
"Hey, aren't you forgetting on, Yuri? I know you got 6 out of your pocket." Misty asked out of curiosity.  
  
"Yeah, I did it on purpose. This is the greatest Pokemon ever!" Yuri bragged. She threw her last PokeBall high into the air. When it hit the ground, it seemed to open slowly. What came out was a shock to Ash, Misty and Brock.  
  
"Is that.?" Ash stammered.  
  
"Yep. This is my Ho-Oh." Yuri said as she climbed on top of the giant bird Pokemon. Ash took out his PokeDex and pointed it at Ho-Oh.  
  
'Legend claims that this Pokemon flies the world's skies continuously on its magnificent seven colored wings. It's most powerful attack is Sacred Fire.'  
  
"It's so beautiful! Where did you find such a rare and incredible bird Pokemon?" Misty asked as she walked over to Ho-Oh and started to pet it.  
  
"I found it in Tin Tower in Ecruteak City. Judging by your Pineco, Corsola, and Bayleef, I'm guessing you were in Johto too, huh?"  
  
"Yeah. In fact, we just came from there." Ash explained.  
  
"Blastoise, use your hydro pump!" a voice called. Yuri, Ash, Misty and Brock's eyes followed a water path heading straight for Yuri's fire Pokemon. It hit them all so hard, they all went flying backwards.  
  
"Still weak, eh? Even with two legendary Pokemon, it's sad." a female's voice said. Everybody looked in the direction from where the water came from.  
  
"Kuro, why you always doin that to my Pokemon?" Yuri asked. "That's my older sister, Kuro. Her Pokemon are all water types."  
  
"Really? Mine are, too!" Misty said.  
  
"Well, who are your new friends?" Kuro asked. She had brown hair under a red piece of fabric tied in the back, and was wearing a black sleeveless dress with a long blue bead necklace tired around her neck twice and a red bead bracelet on her right wrist. Her eyes were also brown.  
  
"This is Ash, Misty and Brock. Misty's Pokemon are water types, too." Yuri said.  
  
"Venusaur, Solar Beam!" a male's voice shouted this time. It hit Kuro's Blastoise with a hard impact.  
  
"Chikara, what was that for?" Kuro whined as she ran over to her Blastoise.  
  
"And that's my older brother, Chikara. He's older than Kuro, but only by a year." Yuri explained to Ash, Misty and Brock. "His Pokemon are either Grass or Electric."  
  
"I don't understand why you always pick on Yuri." Chikara said as he walked to the group. He had black hair which spiked backwards. He was wearing a white over shirt with green pants much like Yuri's. Around his neck were 3 black, pointy teeth held together with a string. His eyes were black, but showed traces of red. He saw Misty and walked over to her.  
  
"Hello, beautiful. What's your name?" Chikara asked as he took Misty's hands in his. She began to blush.  
  
"Uh, M-Misty." was the only thing she could stammer out.  
  
"Please don't mind my sisters. They're both really stressed. My name is Chikara, by the way." he explained. "Do you have any sisters?"  
  
"Yeah. They live at the Cerulean City gym. They're the gym leaders there." Misty replied. "They also do a water ballet in their free time."  
  
"Ah, yes, I've seen them. I must say, you are much more beautiful than all 3 of them put together." Chikara complimented.  
  
"Well, thank you. I've always thought so, too." Misty said.  
  
"A girl with high self-esteem and a good sense of humor. I like that. So, are you going to be coming to our barbecue later tonight?" Chikara asked.  
  
"A barbecue? You mean, with food and everything?" Ash asked with stupidity. Everybody got a sweat drop in the back of their heads.  
  
"Sure, we'll come!" Misty said. Chikara got a smile on his face, revealing his sparkling white teeth.  
  
"Great! I promise my sisters won't get into a fight again." Chikara said. He let go of Misty's hands. She walked back to Ash and Brock.  
  
"Is Professor Oak coming?" Brock asked.  
  
"Well, mom invited him, but I don't know." Yuri said.  
  
"I know since we're here, he'd be more than happy to come." Ash said. "We're close, personal friends with Professor Oak."  
  
"Oh, really? Well, what's his real name? Because you know as well as all of us that 'Professor' is not his real name." Kuro quizzed as she put her Blastoise in his PokeBall.  
  
"Uh, well. I'm not sure, exactly." Ash said as he thought about it.  
  
"Professor Samuel Oak." Kuro said with an attitude.  
  
"Kuro, stop it. He didn't do anything to you." Yuri said.  
  
"Oh, sticking up for your new boyfriend? How sweet of you, Yuri." Kuro teased.  
  
"Kuro. Yuri." Chikara sighed.  
  
"I've never seen such a sibling rivalry before. I'm an only child, so I guess I wouldn't, huh?" Ash shrugged.  
  
"Trust me. it gets frustrating." Brock and Misty said at the same time as they put one hand on Ash's shoulders.  
  
"Brock, you have brothers and sisters?" Yuri asked.  
  
"Eight brothers and eight sisters." Brock sighed.  
  
"I love little kids! Even if they are out of control. They're just so small." Yuri said. "I wished I had a little brother."  
  
"You can have one of mine!" Brock joked. Yuri chuckled.  
  
"Well, I guess we'll see you later tonight." Yuri said as she called all of her Pokemon back to their PokeBalls. She walked over to her 4- wheeler and put on her helmet.  
  
"Wait, where are you going?" Brock asked.  
  
"Well, if I want my Pokemon to be in top shape, I have to go to the Pokemon Center. Unless, by some chance you're a miracle Pokemon breeder with some Pokemon food you made from your own recipe that Pokemon will actually eat, I gotta run!"  
  
After Yuri said all that, Brock dug around his bad, stacking jars upon jars of Pokemon food for each specific Pokemon. When he was done, he faced Yuri and grinned. Yuri just looked at him with a blank face, while Ash, Misty, Kuro and Chikara started to laugh.  
  
~~Next Chapter: Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu go to the party that Yuri, Kuro and Chikara are having. It's fun and games until the Pokemon Lab in Viridian City is being robbed! Will the group make it in time? Stay tuned to find out! 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Pokemon, except the ones I made up (you'll know which ones). So, read and enjoy! Don't forget to review!!!  
  
"Mom, we're going over there now, okay?" Ash said. He was wearing his black shirt and jeans, Misty was wearing a light blue sleeveless dress, and Brock was wearing his orange shirt and brown pants.  
  
"Okay, I'll meet you over there later." Mrs. Ketchum said as she stood in front of her bathroom mirror, putting on a red shade of lipstick.  
  
"You know, I really don't understand why you wore such a formal dress, Misty." Ash said when they stepped outside.  
  
"Well, I want to look nice. Is there anything wrong with that? Oh, before I forget." Misty answered as she began to mess with her hair. She took out the side pony-tail, letting her red hair blow in the breeze. Ash and Brock stared at her with an open mouth. She ignored them and continued to the barbecue.  
  
"I haven't seen Misty with her hair down in a long time." Ash said, still staring at Misty.  
  
"Me either. In fact, I think it's grown longer." Brock agreed.  
  
At the party, Ash, Misty and Brock found everybody there except for Yuri, Kuro and Chikara.  
  
"Welcome, Ash, Misty and Brock. So glad you could be here." Beverly said as she bowed down.  
  
"Ash? Is that you?" Professor Oak's voice said somewhere in the big crowd of people.  
  
"Professor Oak! How are you?" Ash asked when he finally found Professor Oak.  
  
"Just fine! Tell me about Johto. What kind of Pokemon did you catch? Can I run some experiments on them?" Professor Oak questioned too fast.  
  
"It was great! We did catch some new Pokemon." Ash began.  
  
".Made some new friends." Misty continued.  
  
".And learned some new breeding techniques!" Brock finished.  
  
"That's great! Now, can I see all of your new Pokemon?" Professor Oak asked with excitement.  
  
"Well, I only brought Pikachu. Maybe tomorrow?" Ash asked.  
  
"Sure thing! I've gotta get some more of the rice. See you later!" Professor Oak said as he tried to squeeze into the large crowd of people by the food table.  
  
"I wonder where Yuri is." Ash said as he looked around. No sooner had he said it, Yuri, Kuro and Chikara walked out of their house to the party. Yuri was wearing a pink short shirt with a blue skirt, and her long blue hair was down. Kuro was wearing the same dress as earlier, only there was no necklace, bracelet or fabric for her hair. Chikara was wearing the same white over shirt, only with a black shirt under it and blue pants. It appeared like they were looking for something.  
  
"Hey! Yuri, Kuro, Chikara!" Ash shouted as he began to wave his arm in the air. Kuro heard it, and walked over to him, followed by Chikara and Yuri.  
  
"Hey, Ash. Long time, no see!" Kuro joked. Ash just chuckled.  
  
"Where did Misty go?" Brock asked anybody who was listening.  
  
"I think she went over there with Chikara." Yuri replied as she pointed to the tree in her backyard. Sure enough, there was Misty and Chikara. Kuro, Ash, Yuri and Brock began to laugh.  
  
"Ash! Hey, Ash!" a familiar voice called.  
  
"Tracey!" Ash shouted. Ash and Misty's friend who traveled with them in the Orange Islands came running from the crowd of people.  
  
"Hey, Ash. How've ya been?" Tracey asked.  
  
"Just fine, and yourself? How's life been with Professor Oak?" Ash asked.  
  
"Well, I have to eat Tofu at least once a week. But other than that, it's been great! I've learned a lot! Where's Misty?" Tracey asked.  
  
"Over there by the tree." Ash said. He felt a nudge in his ribs, and looked to see who it was. Brock was nudging Ash in the ribs and began to whisper something.  
  
"Who is this?" Brock whispered.  
  
"Oh, yeah! Tracey, this is my one of my oldest friends, Brock! He used to be the gym leader of the Pewter City gym. He was traveling with me and Misty during our first adventure, then he came back when we went to Johto." Ash introduced. Brock shook Tracey's hand. By that time, Misty and Chikara had walked back to the group.  
  
"Hey Tracey!" Misty greeted.  
  
"Hiya, Misty. How are your Pokemon?" Tracey asked.  
  
"Fine. Have you met Chikara?" Misty asked as Chikara stepped forward.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Chikara. I take it you're new to Pallet Town?" Tracey asked.  
  
"Yeah, me and my two sisters. That's Yuri, and the other one in the black dress is Kuro." Chikara introduced for his sisters.  
  
"Well, I guess I better get back to the Pokemon Lab. I wasn't supposed to be here tonight. I just hope Professor Oak doesn't." Tracey began.  
  
"Tracey? What are you doing here? What about the Pokemon at the Lab?" Professor Oak's voice called.  
  
".See me. Oh, well. Nice meeting you guys! I'll talk to you soon, Ash!" Tracey called as he began to walk away.  
  
"Wait, Tracey! I have a favor." Ash said. Tracey turned around and walked back to the party.  
  
"What is it, Ash? I'll be more than happy to do anything!" Tracey asked.  
  
"Well, I was wondering. Since you draw Pokemon and stuff, well, would you draw a picture of me and Yuri, Brock, Misty, Kuro and Chikara?" Ash asked.  
  
"I don't see why not. Let me go back to the Lab and get my pencils and my drawing book." Tracey said as he began to run from the party in the direction of the Pokemon Lab.  
  
"I almost forgot! We have a karaoke system set up! Do you want to sing?" Yuri asked.  
  
"I don't know. Only if you sing first." Ash said.  
  
"Well, let's split it up into groups of three. Me, Misty and Kuro, and then you, Brock and Chikara. Is that okay?" Yuri suggested. Ash, Brock and Chikara looked at each other.  
  
"Sure, why not? But you know what they say. ladies first!" Chikara said.  
  
"Okay, we'll go first." Yuri said as she crossed her arms. "Come on, girls."  
  
As Yuri, Misty and Kuro walked onto the "stage" (it's really like their back deck), they huddled together.  
  
"What song are we going to sing?" Kuro asked.  
  
"I heard this really cool song one time. It's called 'My Will'. I heard it on this show called 'Inu Yasha'." Misty suggested.  
  
"Oh, yeah! We know all the words to that song! Let's sing it!" Yuri said. Kuro and Misty nodded, and they broke out of their huddle. Yuri walked over to the microphone and turned it on.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen! I have a very important announcement to make!" Yuri called into the microphone. Everybody began to turn their heads from their conversations with other people and looked up at Yuri on the stage.  
  
"My friend, Misty, and my sister, Kuro, and I have decided to sing a song. It's called 'My Will'." Yuri said as she put the microphone back into its holder, and walked back with Misty and Kuro, who were lined up in a line. People at the party began to clap lightly.  
  
As soon as the music started, Yuri, Misty and Kuro began to dance at the same time. Yuri walked up to the microphone for the first two verses.  
  
"Sotto mezameru  
Hakanai omoi zutto  
Donna toki demo negau yo  
Anata ni todoku you ni to...  
  
"Ato sukoshi" to yuu kyori ga fumidasenakute  
Itsumo me no mae wa tozasarete-ita no  
Aitai aenai hibi wo kasaneru tabi ni  
Tsuyoi tokimeki wa setsunasa ni naru yo"  
  
Yuri walked back, and let Misty take the microphone. She saw Tracey in the crowd with a pad of paper and a pencil racing in his hands.  
  
"Moshimo eien to yuu mono ga aru nara  
Toomawari shite demo shinjite mitai  
"Bukiyou dakara KIZUtsuku koto mo aru"  
Wakatte mo tomaranai mou dare ni mo makenai  
  
Anata no koto wo omou  
Sore dake de kokoro ga  
Tsuyoku nareru ki ga suru yo  
Hakanai omoi zutto  
Donna toki demo negau yo  
Anata ni todoku you ni to..."  
  
Misty looked down and saw Ash, Brock, and Chikara look at her. She smiled and walked back. It was Kuro's turn to sing.  
  
Tsuyogaru koto dake shiri-sugite-ita watashi  
Dakedo ano toki kara mayoi wa kieta yo"  
  
"Misetai to omou mono ga kitto atte  
Kikasetai kotoba mo takusan aru  
Egao nakigao mo zenbu mite hoshikute  
Matte-iru watashi wa yamete  
"CHANSU" wo tsukamu yo  
  
Kuro stayed at the microphone and Yuri and Misty walked next to her. They sang the rest of the song together.  
  
"Anata no koto wo omou  
Sore dake de namida ga  
Ima afuredashite kuru yo  
Tookute koe ga todokanai dakedo itsuka wa  
Kanarazu todoku you ni  
Shinjite la la la la la la...  
Shinjite la la la la la la..."  
  
When Yuri, Misty and Kuro were done singing, everybody at the party began to clap loudly. Yuri, Misty and Kuro bowed, and jumped off the stage. They ran over to the boys.  
  
"You guys were fantastic!" Ash shouted over all the clapping. Brock, Chikara and Tracey agreed.  
  
"Okay, now it's your guy's turn. What song are you going to sing?" Kuro asked when the clapping died down.  
  
" 'Change the World'. Since you guys sang 'My Will', you should know that it's from 'Inu Yasha' as well." Ash said.  
  
"Good luck!" Yuri called.  
  
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried.  
  
As Ash, Brock and Chikara walked onto the stage, everybody at the party looked up there again.  
  
"Okay, we're going to sing a song, too! It's called 'Change the World'." Ash called into the microphone.  
  
The song started with all the guys singing.  
  
"I want to change the world  
Kaze wo kakenukete nanimo osorezu ni  
Ima yuuki to egao no KAKERA daite  
Change my mind  
Jounetsu tayasazu ni takanaru mirai e  
Le wo nobaseba kagayakeru hazu sa  
It's wonderland"  
  
During the instrumental break, Ash and Brock walked back and let Chikara sing.  
  
"Hai-iro no sora no kanata nanika oite kita  
Kimi wa mayoi nagara  
Sagashi-tsudzukeru  
Kimi no kokoro furuete'ta asu no mienai yo  
Nanimo shinjirarezu mimi wo fusagu  
Kimi ni deaeta toki hontou no ibasho mitsuketa  
Nanigenal yasashisa ga koko ni atte  
Bokura mezameru"  
  
Ash and Brock walked back up to the microphone and sang with Chikara again. They noticed mostly everybody at the party was dancing, including Yuri, Misty, Kuro and Tracey.  
  
"I want to change the world  
Nido to mayowanai kimi to iru mirai  
Katachi doreba doko made mo toberu sa  
Change my mind  
Jounetsu tayasazu ni shiranai ashita e  
Tsubasa hiroge hanabatakeru hazu sa  
It's wonderland"  
  
Chikara then stepped away during the instrumental break and let Ash and Brock sing together.  
  
"Bokura wa onaji sekai wo oyogi tsudzukete'ru  
Tagai no negai e todoku hi made  
Minna onaji fuan kakaete sasaeaeru yo  
Tachidomaru shunkan ni mitsumete'ru  
Kono basho ni iru"  
  
Chikara joined Ash and Brock to finish the song together.  
  
"I want to change the world  
Kono te hazasazu ni mimamoru hitomi wo  
Uketometara nandatte dekiru hazu  
Change my mind  
Hitori ni sasenai minna koko ni iru  
Donna koto mo tsukinukete ikou  
It's wonderland  
  
I want to change the world  
Kaze wo kakenukete nanimo osorezu ni  
Ima yuuki to egao no KAKERA daite  
Change my mind  
Jouneisu layasazu ni lakanaru mirai e  
Te wo nobaseba kagayakeru hazu sa  
It's wonderland"  
  
When Ash, Brock and Chikara were done singing, they bowed just as Yuri, Misty and Kuro had done when they finished. Once again, everybody started clapping loudly. Some people even whistled.  
  
"Way to go, guys!" Yuri congratulated.  
  
"That's my favorite 'Inu Yasha' song!" Misty agreed.  
  
"Okay, guys let me draw a picture of you!" Tracey said as he took out his drawing pad and pencil once again. "Line up and do any pose you want to." Yuri got on the far left with Ash, while Misty was with Chikara on the far right. Kuro and Brock were in the middle. Misty noticed Yuri was giving Ash a kiss on the cheek (for the pose, mind you), so she decided to do the same with Chikara. Kuro also did the same with Brock. Of course, it caught Ash by surprise, it made Brock very excited, and Chikara just got a big smile on his face.  
  
"Can-you-hurry-up, Tracey?" Ash muttered under his breath.  
  
"Hold on, Ash. Almost done." Tracey laughed. "There!" The girls stopped doing the pose, and looked at the guys. Ash was still blushing, Brock was still standing perfectly still with a big grin on his face, and Chikara was moving as if it was nothing.  
  
"Let's see which ones you did tonight, Tracey!" Misty said as she walked over to Tracey and grabbed his book. She flipped through the many pages of Pokemon and Nurse Joy, and found one where Yuri, Misty and Kuro were on stage.  
  
"Look at me! You can get really detailed in your artworks, huh Tracey?" Yuri asked as she stared at her face.  
  
"Well, sorta. I guess I do!" Tracey said as he rubbed the back of his head.  
  
"Let's see one of the guys." Kuro suggested. Misty continued to the next page, but found a close-up shot of her. The next was of Yuri, and the last close-up was Kuro. She continued until she found a group shot of the guys singing onstage.  
  
"Wow! Look at them!" Misty commented. She flipped the page and found a close-up of Ash's face. The next was Brock, and the final one was Chikara.  
  
"Let's see the one that he just drew." Yuri said as she took the book from Misty and turned the page. It was the latest drawing he did of the girl and the boys.  
  
"That's just so detailed. It's good!" Chikara said in awe.  
  
"Look at Brock's face." Misty giggled.  
  
"Hey, Tracey? Can you come with me for a second? I need to ask you something." Misty asked as she walked away from the group.  
  
"What is it, Misty? Is there something I can help you with?" Tracey asked.  
  
"Well, sorta. You know that close-up picture of Ash you did? Well, can you make a copy of that?" Misty asked.  
  
"Sure! I'd be more than happy to!" Tracey said.  
  
"Good, but don't do it now. Wait until you get back to the Lab." Misty said.  
  
"Okay. So, how long do you guys think you'll be in Pallet Town?" Tracey asked.  
  
"I don't know. I guess until Professor Oak says there's some new adventure we should go on." Misty said as she and Tracey walked back to the group.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen! Our youngest daughter, Yuri, would like to sing a song by herself now." Beverly said on the stage. Ash, Misty, Brock, Kuro, Chikara and Tracey watched as Yuri walked up the deck steps.  
  
"Okay! Here I go again!" Yuri joked. Some people laughed, while others clapped. "This song is called 'Makin' My Way (Any Way That I Can)'. It's one of my favorites." The music started soon after she was done introducing the song.  
  
"Yeah.  
Oh.  
  
(Nothin's gonna stop me this time)  
(Nothin's gonna stop me this time)  
  
(Nothin's gonna stop me this time)  
  
Been on the loosing side  
This time I'll turn the tide  
This time I won't give up  
No baby  
  
This time I'm in control  
I want the whole world to know  
Aint nothing to slow me down this time  
This weird faith is on my side  
And I've giving all I've got  
Yeah, baby  
Count every step straight to the top  
  
And if the river's too wide, I'll get through it  
And if the mountain's too high, that won't stop the stream of mine  
I'm on my way, I've got a plan  
I'm making my way any way that I can  
  
So many times I've played  
In someone else's game  
This time the game is changed  
Oh baby  
  
This time I make the rules  
I won't be nobody's fool  
Aint on one can hold me down this time  
This one's gonna be mine  
There's a brand new strength I've found  
Aint looking back Aint backing up  
  
And if the river's too wide, I'll get through it  
And if the mountain's too high, that won't stop the stream of mine  
I'm on my way, I've got a plan  
I'm making my way any way that I can  
  
And if the river's too wide, I'll get through it  
And if the mountain's too high, that won't stop the stream of mine  
I'm on my way, I've got a plan  
I'm making my way any way that I can  
  
This time around,  
I'll stand my ground I'll live my dream I realize the power lays deep in me  
(Nothing's gonna stop me this time. I'm on my way)  
Yeah  
  
Been on the loosing side  
This time I'll turn the tide  
This time I won't give up  
I want the whole world to know  
(Aint nothing to slow me down this time)  
This weird faith is on my side  
And I've giving all I've got  
Yeah, baby  
Count every step straight to the top  
  
And if the river's too wide, I'll get through it  
And if the mountain's too high, that won't stop the stream of mine  
I'm on my way, I've got a plan  
I'm making my way any way that I can  
  
And if the river's too wide, I'll get through it  
And if the mountain's too high, that won't stop the stream of mine  
I'm on my way, I've got a plan  
I'm making my way any way that I can  
  
(I'm on my way) I'll get through it  
(I'm on my way)  
(I'm on my way) Stop this stream of mine  
(I'm on my way) I've got a plan  
(I'm on my way)  
Baby I can  
  
(I'm on my way)"  
  
When Yuri finished, she bowed down one last time, and walked back to the group. Everybody at the party was clapping.  
  
"Good song, Yuri!" Ash said.  
  
"Thanks, Ash!" Yuri said.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, another important announcement!" Beverly called from the stage. Mostly everybody groaned in the crowd. "No, it's not another song. The police station just called. They said that somebody is trying to take the Pokemon from the Pokemon Lab in Viridian City."  
  
"No way! All the way in Viridian City?" Ash gasped. He looked at the group, who nodded. "Okay, let's go!"  
  
Ash, Misty and Brock ran inside the Ketchum house to get their PokeBalls. Then they all ran back outside and began to run in the direction of Viridian City.  
  
"Isn't that a little too slow, Ash?" Yuri shouted next to Ash as she came by on her 4-wheeler. "Hop on!" Misty took a ride on Chikara's 4- wheeler, and Brock on Kuro's. They sped through Pallet Town to Viridian City.  
  
~~Next Chapter: Will Ash, Misty, Brock, Yuri, Kuro and Chikara make it to Viridian City in time to save the Pokemon from the Pokemon Lab? Speaking of which, where IS the Professor from the Pokemon Lab? All will be answered in the next chapter. Stay tuned! 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Pokemon, except the ones I made up (you'll know which ones). So, read and enjoy! Don't forget to review!!!  
  
"I can just see Viridian City." Yuri shouted back to Ash from the front of her 4-wheeler.  
  
"Do you have your Pokemon ready?" Ash called back to everybody else. They all nodded.  
  
Once in Viridian City, Officer Jenny stopped them. "Halt! Just what do you think you're doing? I need to see some I.D. before you can go any farther."  
  
"Um, Officer Jenny, isn't the Pokemon Lab being robbed?" Yuri asked as she took off her helmet.  
  
"Well, I don't know. Nobody reported that a robbery was taking place. Go check it out and call me if there is anything happening." Officer Jenny said as she let Yuri, Chikara, and Kuro pass. "Just don't make too much noise. People have to sleep, mind you."  
  
"Yes, ma'am. Thanks!" Kuro said as she passed through last.  
  
Racing down the same road, Yuri first caught a glimpse of the Pokemon Lab of Viridian City. "There it is!"  
  
"Then let's go!" Ash called back.  
  
Yuri stopped in front of the Pokemon Lab. Chikara followed, as did Kuro. Ash, Brock and Misty began to run up the steps without waiting for Yuri, Chikara and Kuro.  
  
"Who's doing this?!" Ash shouted. Suddenly, an explosion from a close- by room went off. Ash covered Misty on the floor, while Brock just dropped down and covered his head.  
  
"What was that?!" Kuro asked as she, followed by her brother and sister, ran inside.  
  
"It looks like they have this place armed. We better be careful." Ash said as he stood up. "Let's go down that hallway."  
  
"Right!" everybody agreed.  
  
As they began to run down the hallway, they heard Pokemon cries.  
  
"What was that?" Chikara asked. They heard a low bark.  
  
"That sounds like a.. Arcanine!" Yuri said. She strained her ears to hear more.  
  
".I can't believe that the scheme worked! It was a total and complete success!" a familiar voice said.  
  
".no kidding, Jessie. The boss is gonna love us!" another familiar voice added.  
  
"Let's just get outta here before the twerps show up!"  
  
"Doesn't that sound a lot like.?" Ash asked Misty and Brock.  
  
"Team Rocket!" Misty and Brock agreed at the same time. Everybody began to run in the direction from which they heard the voices.  
  
"Stop right there!" Ash called from the smoke into the room.  
  
"Who's there?" Jessie called from inside the room.  
  
"It's the twerps!" Ash replied. Everybody got a sweat drop on the back of their heads.  
  
"Oh, well.. Prepare for trouble!" Jessie started.  
  
"And make it double!" James continued.  
  
"To protect the world from devastation!"  
  
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"  
  
"Jessie!"  
  
"James!"  
  
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"  
  
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"  
  
"Meowth, that's right!" Team Rocket's talking cat, Meowth, finished.  
  
"Every single time.." Ash said with a sigh. "What are you guys doing here, anyway?!"  
  
"Just capturing some rare and valuable Pokemon for the boss!" James said.  
  
"Hold it right there. We won't let you go without a Pokemon fight." Kuro said, stepping out of the smoke.  
  
"Who's that?" Jessie and James asked at the same time.  
  
"We're with Ash. So, do you want to battle?" Kuro asked with bravery.  
  
"Fine, little girl. 3 against 3?" Jessie asked as she readied her PokeBall with Arbok in it.  
  
"Okay with me. Go, Kingdra!" Kuro shouted as she threw her PokeBall in front of her.  
  
"King! Kingdra!" Kingdra cried.  
  
"Go, Arbok!" Jessie shouted as she, too, threw her PokeBall. "Use Poison Sting!"  
  
"Char-bok!" Arbok cried as it released thousands of poisonous needles from its mouth.  
  
"Kingdra, Bubble Beam!" Kuro instructed. Kingdra released bubbles from its mouth to block the poison needles. "Great! Now use Hydro Pump!" Kingdra then released a water stream from its mouth, aiming at Arbok. It hit him with a hard impact, pushing Arbok into the wall.  
  
"Arbok, return!" Jessie called. "James, it's your turn."  
  
"Right. Go, Weezing!" James called out his Pokemon.  
  
"It's my turn now. Go, Meganium!" Chikara called as he released Chikorita's third Pokemon stage. "Use Vine Whip!" Meganium released 2 vines from its neck and wrapped them around Weezing. It then continued to slam Weezing into the ground countless times. "Now, finish it! Use Razor Leaf!" Meganium finished the fight by releasing 2 razor-sharp leaves from its neck.  
  
"Return, Weezing! Go, Victrebell!" James shouted as he threw his last PokeBall on the ground. Victrebell then decided to chew on James's head, just as it usually does. "Get them, not me! Get off me, you dumb leaf!"  
  
"Okay, you wanna fight grass with grass? I'm sorry I can't help you in that department, but I think I could help if you ever get cold." Yuri said as Chikara decided to let her fight after he was done. "Go, Ninetails!"  
  
"Nine!" Ninetails cried.  
  
"Use Fire Blast!" Yuri instructed. Ninetails gathered air in its mouth and released a butt-load of fire. The fire caught Victrebell, who was finally off of James's head. Victrebell fainted, and fell to the ground.  
  
"Return, Victrebell." James called back.  
  
"Just because you fainted all of our Pokemon doesn't mean we're just going to give up, you know." Jessie said.  
  
"I'd beg to differ. Pikachu, Thunder Bolt!" Ash commanded. Pikachu charged his electric sacks on his cheeks and released a bolt of electricity. It shocked Jessie, James and Meowth, sending them flying into the air.  
  
"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Jessie, James and Meowth shouted at the same time.  
  
"Wobbuffett!" Jessie's dopey Pokemon, Wobbuffett, shouted after Team Rocket.  
  
"That was odd. Jessie and James usually do a lot more than that. I wonder what's gotten into them." Ash said as he, Misty, Brock, Yuri, Kuro and Chikara started to leave the Pokemon Lab.  
  
"No kidding. Hey, shouldn't there've been a Professor or something in the Lab?" Misty asked.  
  
"Now that you mention it, it does seem odd. Well, let's just get back to Pallet Town." Chikara said. Yuri hopped on her 4-wheeler with Ash on the back again. Kuro got on hers and let Brock ride again, as did Chikara with Misty.  
  
Back in Pallet Town, Yuri, Kuro and Chikara stopped their 4-wheelers in the front yard.  
  
"Let's head back to the party. Our parents are going to be so worried about us." Kuro said with a sigh. "I hate it when they're worried about us."  
  
As Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, Yuri, Kuro and Chikara walked back into the party, Mrs. Ketchum, Beverly and Derek all ran up to their children. Well, Mrs. Ketchum ran up to Ash, Misty and Brock.  
  
"Are you guys okay?" Mrs. Ketchum asked.  
  
"Yeah, mom, we're fine!" Ash said.  
  
"If we weren't fine, would we be here right now?" Kuro asked.  
  
"I guess not. anyway, Professor Oak and Tracey left to go back to the Pokemon Lab. He says he wants you to meet him at the Lab tomorrow." Beverly said.  
  
"Okay. Well, I guess we'll be heading in. The party's almost over, and we're wore out." Yuri said as she yawned.  
"Okay, well, good night." Mrs. Ketchum said as she walked back to her house. Most of the party guests left, as well, so Beverly and Derek began to clean up.  
  
"So, we'll see you tomorrow?" Chikara asked.  
  
"Yeah. Hey, why don't you guys come with us to the Pokemon Lab tomorrow?" Ash suggested.  
  
"Sounds great! We'll meet you at your house at 11:00, okay?" Yuri asked.  
  
"Sure. Well, goodnight!" Ash said as he, Misty and Brock went back to the Ketchum house.  
  
"Night." Yuri said as she, Kuro and Chikara walked back to their house.  
  
~The Next Morning~  
  
"Ash, honey!" Mrs. Ketchum called up the stairs. "Yuri, Kuro and Chikara are here!"  
  
"Ash, wake up!" Misty shouted into Ash's ear. Sure enough, that woke him up.  
  
"Misty! What was that for?!" Ash screamed.  
  
"Well, it's 11:10, and Yuri, Kuro and Chikara are downstairs waiting. Me and Brock already had breakfast. So, get your lazy butt downstairs so we can go meet with Professor Oak!" Misty explained as she stomped out of Ash's room and back downstairs.  
  
About 10 minutes later, Ash came running down the stairs. "Sorry to keep everybody waiting. So, let's go!"  
  
"He sure is a morning person, isn't he?" Yuri asked.  
  
"Not particularly. I think it's because you're here, Yuri." Brock teased.  
  
"That's probably true!" Kuro agreed, laughing along with Brock.  
  
"CAN WE JUST GET GOING?!" Ash and Yuri shouted to Kuro and Brock at the same time.  
  
As Ash, Misty, Brock, Yuri, Kuro and Chikara walked into the Pokemon Lab, Tracey ran up to greet them.  
  
"Are you guys here to see Professor Oak?" Tracey asked.  
  
"Yeah. My mom said last night that it sounded pretty important. Is he here?" Yuri asked.  
  
"He's somewhere in the Lab. Let me find him for you. You guys can come on inside." Tracey said as he walked out of the way so Ash, Misty, Brock, Yuri, Kuro and Chikara could walk inside.  
  
"Professor! We're here!" Ash called.  
  
"Oh, well, hello there, Ash! Hello, everybody!" Professor Oak called back from upstairs. "If you'll just give me a moment, I'll tell you why I called everybody here."  
  
After another 20 minutes, Professor Oak finally came down to talk to everybody. Tracey went back to feeding the Pokemon.  
  
"Right. Sorry to keep you waiting, everybody!" Professor Oak said as he walked to the group, who were already sitting down on the floor like little kids, waiting to hear a story.  
  
"It's no problem! So, about last night, when were in the Pokemon Lab in Viridian City. We were just wondering why there wasn't a Professor there. I mean, don't you think he or she would've tried to stop Team Rocket?" Ash asked.  
  
"Yes, about that. It seems the Professor was in Olivine City in Johto at the time. He was having somebody else look after his Pokemon while he was away. Apparently, the person watching the Pokemon couldn't make it in time to help. So, Team Rocket tried to steal some rare Pokemon." Professor Oak explained.  
  
"Well, why was the other Professor in Olivine City?" Brock asked.  
  
"I have no idea. He didn't contact me or Professor Elm. It's a mystery." Professor Oak replied while in deep thought.  
  
"Professor? You might want to come and see this!" Tracey's voice echoed.  
  
"What is it?" Professor Oak echoed back.  
  
"It's a news report of the Pokemon Lab in Viridian City last night! They're saying something about the Professor!" Tracey replied.  
  
"Let's go see what it's about." Ash said as he and everybody else got up and ran to the television.  
  
'While away from the Pokemon Lab in Viridian City, Professor Arthur Willow was in Olivine City. When newscasters went to Olivine City in Johto to try and look for him, he had disappeared.' the news anchor reported.  
  
"He disappeared?" Yuri asked.  
  
'A man in a work suit who is to be nameless was the last person who saw Professor Arthur Willow before he disappeared.'  
  
"That sounds like Giovanni! Only he would do something this drastic to keep Team Rocket in business." Misty said.  
  
"But Team Rocket isn't stationed in Johto OR Kanto anymore. Where could they be?" Ash asked.  
  
"You guys better go. There may be some clues in a new country with some new towns. It's called Banto. That might be where Team Rocket is now stationed. You may leave whenever you're ready." Professor Oak said.  
  
"Right. Well, we'll meet you here tomorrow so we can get ready today. Bye, Professor Oak! Bye, Tracey!" Ash said as he walked out the door.  
  
"Wait a moment, Chikara and Kuro. Would you stay behind? I've got something I would like to ask you." Professor Oak said. Chikara and Kuro looked at each other, and then back at Professor Oak.  
  
"Sure, Professor." Chikara said as he and Kuro walked back inside the Pokemon Lab.  
  
~~Next Chapter: It seems like Ash, Misty, Brock, Yuri, Chikara and Kuro are on a new adventure! Who knows if they'll find any clues to the disappearance of Professor Willow. Plus, why did Professor Oak want Chikara and Kuro to stay behind for a moment? Stay tuned to find out! 


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Pokemon, except the ones I made up (you'll know which ones). So, read and enjoy! Don't forget to review!!!  
  
"I wonder why Chikara and Kuro had to stay behind with Professor Oak." Yuri asked.  
  
"Who knows..." Misty replied.  
  
"Hey, how about we have a picnic? We can make sandwiches, and have nice, cool drinks, and our Pokemon can eat with us!" Yuri suggested.  
  
"Sounds good to me!" Ash, Misty and Brock said at the same time.  
  
"Okay, we'll each go get our PokeBalls, and when Chikara and Kuro come back, we can have out picnic!" Yuri said.  
  
"Okay! Let's go!" Ash said as he, Misty and Brock ran to the Ketchum residence, and Yuri ran to her house.  
  
~20 minutes later~  
  
"We're back!" Kuro said as she and her older brother walked in the front door.  
  
"Just in time! Me, Ash, Misty and Brock and all of our Pokemon are going to have a picnic! Do you guys want to eat with us?" Yuri asked as she put her PokeBalls in the side pocket of her green pants.  
  
"Sure! Heaven knows my Pokemon could use a little fresh air!" Kuro said.  
  
"Come on, they're outside waiting for us." Yuri said as she walked from her back door to her back yard.  
  
"Hey, guys. When did you get back?" Brock asked when Chikara and Kuro walked out behind Yuri.  
  
"Just a few minutes ago. So, can we be a part of your picnic?" Chikara asked.  
  
"Sure! Your Pokemon can eat, too." Misty said as she released her Staryu, Goldeen, Politoad and Psyduck.  
  
"We've got an inflatable pool for your water Pokemon, Misty. Well, not just for you. Kuro used to use it to train when her Pokemon were weak." Chikara said as he walked into the house and pulled out a folded-up inflatable pool. He filled it with air, then the inside with water.  
  
"Thanks! Okay, you guys, go for a swim!" Misty said as she pointed to the inflatable pool. All of her Pokemon except Psyduck jumped inside; Psyduck can't swim, so he stayed out with Misty.  
  
"Come on out, guys!" Ash said as he released his Cyndaquil, Bayleef, Bulbasaur, Totodile and Noctowl. "Totodile, you can go in the pool, too."  
  
"Okay, guys, time for some fresh air!" Brock said as he released his Pineco, Geodude, Zubat, Onix and Vulpix.  
  
"Now it's my turn!" Kuro said. "You can finally meet all of my Pokemon. Go!" Out of Kuro's PokeBalls came: Blastoise, Vaporeon, Feraligatr, Kingdra, Suicune and Articuno.  
  
"Do you guys, like, collect rare Pokemon or something?" Misty asked.  
  
"No. We just happened to be lucky when we met these Pokemon. Collecting Pokemon is dirty." Yuri replied. She released her Charizard, Flareon, Typhlosion, Entei, and Moltres.  
  
"What about Ho-Oh?" Misty asked.  
  
"I usually don't let it out in public. We get a big crowd, and they always try to capture Ho-Oh for themselves. The day that I showed you guys was a big enough risk." Yuri said.  
  
"And finally, I can show off my Pokemon!" Chikara said as he released all of his 6 PokeBalls. Out came a Venusaur, Jolteon, Meganium, Zapdos, Raikou and Nidoking.  
  
"Let's eat!" Ash said.  
  
"Well, we kinda have to hurry. Me and Kuro have to go to the Pokemon Center by this evening." Chikara said.  
  
"Why?" Yuri asked.  
  
"We can't say. So, let's eat already!" Kuro said. "What do we have to eat?"  
  
"Well, I made some. rice with a little bit of soy sauce." Brock babbled on and on. Ash's mouth was watering as Brock whipped out all the food onto the blanket.  
  
During the picnic, Ash, Brock, Misty, Chikara, Kuro and Yuri started throwing food into each other's mouth (you know, like you do with Popcorn. It's not gross). Brock also made food for each of the Pokemon, and they ate it happily.  
  
"That was a great lunch! But, we've gotta go. Thanks for lunch, Brock." Chikara said as he stood up and called his Pokemon back.  
  
"Yeah, it was great! See you guys later!" Kuro said as she called her Pokemon, hopped on her 4-wheeler, and sped off in the direction of Viridian City. Chikara wasn't far behind her.  
  
"Hey, I've got an idea! How about we have a Pokemon mini-tournament!" Yuri suggested. "It'll go me and Misty, then Ash and Brock, then whoever wins those matches has to fight each other for the championship."  
  
"Sounds like fun!" Ash said. Brock and Misty agreed. "How about a 3 on 3 Pokemon fight?"  
  
"Seems fair to me!" Yuri sad as she called back all of her Pokemon. Ash, Misty and Brock did the same.  
  
"I'm ready whenever you are!" Yuri said as she chose 3 of her Pokemon.  
  
"Me too!" Misty said. They walked out to the front of their houses, and readied their first PokeBall.  
  
"Ready? Set? GO!" Ash said. Brock rang a little bell to let them know when to release their PokeBalls.  
  
"Go, Flareon!" Yuri shouted.  
  
"Go, Staryu!" Misty shouted. "Staryu, use Water Gun!"  
  
"Hyah!" Staryu said as it released a stream of water to Flareon. It hit him, and caused him to faint immediately.  
  
"Flareon, return! Go, Entei!" Yuri called. "Use Fire Blast!" Entei, the legendary dog of Fire, shot a blast of fire directly at Staryu. It shot Staryu back, leaving the jewel in the center of its body to blink on and off.  
  
"Come back, Staryu!" Misty called back her fainted Staryu. "You deserve a good rest. Go, Politoad!" (Okay, I know in previous chapters I put 'Poliwhirl'. Today's episode of Pokemon was where Poliwhirl evolved into Politoad, so that's what it is. Sorry for the mistake! I'm pretty slow.) "Politoad, Water Gun!"  
  
"Poli!" Politoad cried as he let a stream of water fly from its mouth directly at Entei. It hit Entei, but not hard enough to do hardly any damage.  
  
"Okay, now use Water Punch!" Misty commanded.  
  
"Poli!" Politoad readied his fist for a Water Punch attack. He hit Entei, and actually fainted it.  
  
"Wow! Yay, Politoad!" Misty cheered. Ash, Brock and Yuri all had confused looks on their faces.  
  
"Return, Entei! Go, Typhlosion!" Yuri called. "Typhlosion, use Flame Wheel!" Typhlosion released many small fire balls that surrounded Politoad. It soon engulfed Politoad with fire. When the fire burned down, Politoad remained lifeless, but not dead.  
  
"Politoad, return! Go, Goldeen!" Misty called. "Goldeen, use Bubble Beam!" Goldeen compiled some air inside its mouth, and released a chain of bubbles at Typhlosion. "Good! Now use Horn Drill!" Goldeen's horn on the top of its head began to spin really fast. Goldeen launched itself at Typhlosion, aiming its horn at its stomach. The final result was Typhlosion, falling backwards on the ground.  
  
"Typhlosion, return!" Yuri called back. "Well, I guess you won, Misty. Congratulations!"  
  
"Thanks. So, now it's Brock and Ash's turn to fight. Let's see how good the boys do." Misty said as she shook Yuri's hand.  
  
"Get your Pokemon ready, Ash." Brock said.  
  
"Already done! You ready?" Ash asked.  
  
"Whenever you are. Prepare to lose!" Brock said as he grabbed one of his PokeBalls.  
  
"Ready? Set? GO!" Yuri shouted. This time, Misty rang the little bell that Brock had during the last match.  
  
"Go, Totodile!" Ash called, releasing his Water Pokemon.  
  
"Onix, go!" Brock shouted. Onix towered over Totodile, but that didn't bother Totodile. "Use Bind, Onix!" Onix's long body wrapped around Totodile, and lifted it up into the air.  
  
"Totodile, use Water Gun!" Ash commanded. Totodile released water from its mouth directly into Onix's face. Onix let go of Totodile. "Great! Now use Bubble Beam!" Totodile switched from water to bubbles. Onix fainted to the ground.  
  
"Onix, return! Go, Pineco!" Brock commanded as he called back Onix and released Pineco into the battle.  
  
"Totodile, return!" Ash called back as Totodile was doing his little dance. "Go, Noctowl!"  
  
"Pineco, use Rock Throw!" Brock instructed.  
  
"Pineco!" Pineco cried as he made rocks hit Noctowl in the air. It made Noctowl fall from the sky.  
  
"Good, Pineco! Now, use Self-Destruct!" Brock said. Pineco hopped over to Noctowl, and blew itself up, causing Noctowl to faint, as well as itself.  
  
"Noctowl, return! Go, Bayleef!" Ash said.  
  
"Pineco, good! Go, Vulpix!" Brock said.  
  
"Bayleef, use Razor Leaf!" Ash said. Chikorita released 2 leaves from its neck, aiming for Vulpix.  
  
"Vulpix, dodge them and use Ember!" Brock said. Vulpix jumped into the air, and used a small fire attack. It hit Bayleef, and caused a Burn effect on it. But, Bayleef had already fainted.  
  
"I still have one Pokemon left. Go, Totodile!" Ash called his water Pokemon back out. "Totodile, use Water Gun!"  
  
"Toto!" Totodile cried as he released water, aiming for Vulpix.  
  
"Vul..." Vulpix cried as she fainted.  
  
"Vulpix, return. You deserve a good rest. Good job, Ash. I guess now you get to fight Misty." Brock said as he shook Ash's hand.  
  
"Yeah, I guess I do!" Ash said.  
  
"Okay, new rule. The final match is going to be a 1 on 1 Pokemon battle." Yuri said.  
  
"Sounds good to me!" Ash and Misty said at the same time.  
  
"Pikachu, go!" Ash said.  
  
"Pi Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu cried.  
  
"Go, Psyduck!" Misty called out her lamest Pokemon.  
  
"Psy?" Psyduck questioned.  
  
"Psyduck? Are you sure you want to fight with Psyduck?" Ash asked.  
  
"I'm positive! Psyduck, use Confusion!" Misty said. Psyduck's eyes began to glow a purple color, and a blue color soon surrounded Pikachu's body, sending Pikachu flying into the air and back down on the ground.  
  
"Pikachu, don't give up! Use Thunder!" Ash shouted. Pikachu charged his electric sacks and used the Thunder attack. Just before it could hit Psyduck, his eyes began to glow purple again, and the lightning bounced off Psyduck's body and went back to Pikachu.  
  
"Pikachu!" Ash called to his best Pokemon. Pikachu fainted to the ground.  
  
"Yay, I won!" Misty cheered.  
  
"Congratulations, Misty!" everybody said.  
  
~Later that Evening~  
  
"Well, I guess I have to go eat dinner. Bye, you guys! Don't forget, we all have to meet at Professor Oak's Lab again tomorrow." Yuri said as she began to walk toward her house.  
  
"Right. Well, goodnight, Yuri!" Ash, Misty and Brock said at the same time.  
  
~~Next Chapter: It's finally the day that Ash, Misty, Brock, Yuri, Kuro and Chikara get to go to a new place, called Banto. But, how will they get there? Stay tuned to find out! 


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Pokemon, except the ones I made up (you'll know which ones). So, read and enjoy! Don't forget to review!!!  
  
"Oh, not again! Ash, wake up!" Mrs. Ketchum called from downstairs.  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah! Today's the day!" Ash said as he yawned. He looked around his bedroom, and saw Misty sleeping on the top bunk of the bunk bed on the other side of the room, and Brock sleeping on the bottom bunk. Togepi was sleeping under Misty's arm, and Pikachu was sleeping on the floor. Ash sat up in his bed, stretched, and put both of his feet on the floor. He looked out the window by his bed, and saw Yuri walking around in her bedroom (she had clothes on, thank you!).  
  
"Ash, get down here right now!" Mrs. Ketchum called again.  
  
"Misty, wake up! We have to leave!" Ash said as he poked Misty in the arm. He looked through his window again, and saw that Yuri was watching him. He opened his window, and she opened hers.  
  
"What are you doing, Ash?" Yuri shouted through her window.  
  
"Trying to wake up Misty. What time is it?" Ash replied.  
  
"It's 7:35! Let me try to wake Misty up. Stay right there!" Yuri said as she walked away from her window. She came back again, only this time with Chikara. "Say something to wake Misty up, Chikara." Ash heard Yuri say in her normal voice.  
  
"Hey, Misty! Wake up, beautiful!" Chikara shouted. Ash began to laugh.  
  
"Huh? Ash, did you just call me beautiful?" Misty asked with a groggy voice.  
  
"Look out the window, Misty." Ash said as he offered his hand to help her down. She looked at it, and put her hand in his, and jumped down.  
  
"Hey, Misty!" Chikara shouted as he waved. Misty began to blush.  
  
"How do we wake up Brock?" Misty asked Ash.  
  
"Hold that thought!" Chikara said this time as he walked away from the window, leaving Yuri to talk to Ash and Misty. After a few minutes, Chikara came back with Kuro.  
  
"Now it's your turn. Say something to wake up Brock." Chikara said.  
  
"Brock, I want to be your girlfriend!" Kuro shouted the loudest. Brock sprang up in his bed automatically, bumping his head on the bottom of the top bunk in the process.  
  
"Ow, but yay!" Brock said with excitement. He ran over to the window, and saw Yuri, Kuro and Chikara standing in the other window. Yuri, Kuro and Chikara started to laugh, and Ash and Misty looked at Brock to try and found out why. When they found out why, they started laughing, too. He had a big bump on his forehead without knowing it.  
  
"ASH KETCHUM, GET YOUR BUTT DOWNSTAIRS NOW!" Mrs. Ketchum shouted as loud as she could.  
  
"Your mom sounds pretty angry, Ash. Better go see what she wants!" Yuri shouted.  
  
"We'll meet you at Professor Oak's Lab soon! Bye!" Chikara said as he closed the window.  
  
"ASH KETCHUM, DON'T MAKE ME COME UP THERE!" Mrs. Ketchum's voice sounded hoarse.  
  
"I'M COMING, MOM!" Ash shouted, sounding pretty annoyed.  
  
As soon as Ash, Misty and Brock were done getting dressed, they walked down the stairs.  
  
"What's for breakfast, Mrs. Ketchum?" Misty asked as they sat down at the table.  
  
"Well, Professor Oak called me earlier today and said you guys were going to some new place. Now, what was the name of it again?" Mrs. Ketchum asked herself.  
  
"Banto. I'm sorry, mom, I shoulda told ya sooner." Ash apologized.  
  
"Yes, that's it! Anyway, I wish you would've told me sooner, but that's in the past now, right? Anyway, breakfast today will be toast, eggs and hash browns. What would everybody like to drink?" Mrs. Ketchum asked as she opened the refrigerator.  
  
"Orange juice!" Misty, Brock and Ash said at the same time.  
  
"Pikachu, would you like something to eat for breakfast?" Ash asked Pikachu.  
  
"Pika!" Pikachu said as he nodded.  
  
"Let me go and get Pikachu's food for you, Ash." Brock offered as he stood up out of his chair. "I'll go get Togepi's food, too."  
  
"Thanks, Brock!" Misty and Ash said. After they said that, the doorbell rang.  
  
"Now, who could that be so early in the morning?" Mrs. Ketchum asked herself as she finished pouring orange juice into 3 glass cups.  
  
"Good morning, Delia. Are Ash, Misty and Brock awake yet?" Professor Oak asked from the front door.  
  
"Yes, they're getting ready to eat breakfast. Would you like to see them before they leave?" Mrs. Ketchum asked as she opened the door for Professor Oak to step inside.  
  
"Thank you, Delia. Oh, Ash! Just the man I wanted to see!" Professor Oak said as Ash walked up to him, with Misty and Brock beside him.  
  
"Is it about our trip to Banto today?" Ash asked.  
  
"Well, yes, it is! I won't be here when you leave for your new journey with Yuri, Kuro and Chikara, so I though that I would stop by and give you a map and a new PokeGear. On this version, you can call people, listen to the radio, and basically everything you could do on the first version. But a new feature is that the PokeDex is built inside the PokeGear, so you won't have to carry around as much." Professor Oak said as he handed Ash the map and PokeGear. "And the best part is, Misty, Brock and Yuri get PokeGears, too! Only Misty and Brock's don't have the PokeDex inside, sorry."  
  
"Great! Thanks, Professor!" Misty said.  
  
"I already know enough about Pokemon that I don't need a PokeDex anyway. But, now I can keep a track of girl's phone numbers!" Brock said with excitement. "I'm going to go put Yuri's and Kuro's phone number in it right now!"  
  
"Brock, wait! I haven't given Yuri hers yet!" Professor Oak shouted through the open door to the skipping (yes, I said skipping) Brock.  
  
~Noon~  
  
"Well, mom, I guess we have to go now." Ash said as he, Misty and Brock were standing outside the front door of the Ketchum residence.  
  
"Okay, Ash. I packed some clean underwear, some bread, a couple of juice boxes, a blanket, soap." Mrs. Ketchum rattled off.  
  
"Okay, okay, mom." Ash tried to make his mother stop talking. Yuri, Kuro and Chikara walked up behind the group, waiting to leave.  
  
"And I also programmed the home phone number and Professor Oak's number into your PokeGear." Mrs. Ketchum said. "Well, bye honey! Call me the minute you reach Banto!"  
  
"Okay! Bye, mom!" Ash said as he and everybody else began to walk away from Pallet.  
  
"According to the map, the best way to get to the shores of Banto is to fly to Vermilion City and surf Northwest until we reach shore." Chikara said. "But, we, as in me and Kuro, have to go to the Pokemon Center in Viridian. So, you guys can figure out a way there."  
  
"Yeah! Bye!" Kuro said as she called out her Articuno and sat on top of it.  
  
"Wait, Chikara! Will I ever see you again?" Misty asked (I wanted it to sound sappy. I don't know why).  
  
"Of course you will! Here, let me program my number into your PokeGear. I'll call you when I have some free time. Good-bye, beautiful." Chikara said as he gave Misty a good-bye kiss on the cheek, called out his Zapdos, and rode off into the sun with Kuro on her Articuno.  
  
"So long, beautiful." Ash teased. Misty slapped his repeatedly for that.  
  
"Well, how do we fly to Vermilion City? I don't have any Pokemon that can fly." Brock asked.  
  
"We can take Ho-Oh and Moltres. Ash and Misty can get on Ho-Oh, and me and Brock will ride on Moltres." Yuri said as she called out her two legendary bird Pokemon.  
  
"Let's go!" Ash said as he hopped on Ho-Oh's back. "Come on, Misty!" he held out his hand, waiting for her to put hers inside it. She put her hand slowly in his, and got on Ho-Oh. When Brock was on Moltres (and finally stopped worrying that it was going to burn him), Yuri commanded Ho- Oh to follow Moltres, and take off.  
  
~~Next Chapter: Ash, Misty, Brock and Yuri arrive in Vermilion City to try and surf their way to Banto. Will they make it, or will their Pokemon not come through for them? Stay tuned to find out! 


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six  
  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Pokemon, except the ones I made up (you'll know which ones). So, read and enjoy! Don't forget to review!!!  
  
"Are we almost there?" Yuri asked as she looked back at Brock, who dug around in his blue backpack for an out-dated map of Kanto. He looked at the map, and then looked down at the ground, then back at the map.  
  
"It looks like we're just over the Pewter City Gym. Hey, I see something down there." Brock said as he saw 16 figures come out of the gym's front doors, followed by a bigger figure. They appeared to be waving up at the group.  
  
"Aren't those your 8 brothers and 8 sisters and your father, Brock?" Ash asked as he looked down. Brock strained his eyes, and indeed saw 8 teenage boys, 8 teenage girls, and 1 older male.  
  
"Hey, guys!!!" Brock shouted as he waved back.  
  
"Moltres, go down there. Ho-Oh, follow Moltres!" Yuri commanded. Moltres started to fly downward, as did Ho-Oh.  
  
"Brock! You're back home!" one of the girls said as she and her 7 sisters hugged Brock. His 8 brothers came over and gave him a pat on the back, and his father walked over to him.  
  
"Dad, how are you, old man?" Brock asked as he escaped the grasp of his brothers and sisters.  
  
"Just fine, Brock! What about you? Where is Professor Ivy?" Flint asked as he looked around.  
  
"I'm not working with Professor Ivy anymore, dad. When Ash and Misty came back to Kanto after their journey in the Orange Islands, I decided to join them again. And now we're going to a new place. We were just on our way to Vermillion City." Brock explained.  
  
"Oh, I see… well, how about some lunch before you start on your way again? Suzie was just beginning to cook." Flint said as he began to walk inside the gym.  
  
"Well, how about it, guys? Do you want food?" Brock asked as he looked back over at Ash, Misty and Yuri.  
  
"You bet we do!!! Let's go!" Ash, Misty and Yuri said as they ran inside the gym after Brock's brothers and sisters.  
  
"What's for lunch, Suzie?" Brock asked as he stopped in the doorway of the kitchen.  
  
"My specialty! It's tomato soup with French bread and water to drink. I love tomato soup!" Suzie replied as she walked from cutting the bread into pieces to stirring the soup.  
  
"Great! Can I help with anything?" Brock asked as he stood in the doorway.  
  
"No, that's okay. I've got everything under control. Thanks, anyway!" Suzie said as she continued to slice the bread.  
  
"Okay, if you insist." Brock said as he walked out of the kitchen. He walked down the hallway to the dining room.  
  
"Ash, how old are you now?" Flint asked as he began a conversation with Ash and Misty.  
  
"I'm 16 now, sir. So is Misty." Ash replied.  
  
"I guess you would be, since Brock is 17. You kids are just growing up too fast... I remember the first day you tried to beat Brock in a Pokemon match for the Boulder Badge." Flint said as he had a flashback.  
  
"Yeah. Things were a lot easier back then. But I've gotten older and wiser!" Ash said as he smiled.  
  
"Wiser? Are you sure about that, Ash?" Misty said with a sweat drop. Ash just laughed, as did Yuri. Flint looked over and saw her.  
  
"I'm terribly sorry I didn't see you sooner. Who might you be?" Flint asked.  
  
"My name is Yuri. I just moved to Pallet Town, and I wanted to journey with Ash, Misty and Brock." Yuri said.  
  
"Nice to meet you. I'm Brock's father, Flint, as you could've guessed." Flint said. "So, Brock, have you found yourself a nice little lady?"  
  
Brock just looked at his father. "Uh, yeah, of course I have! In fact, she's waiting back at Pallet Town for me."  
  
"Good for you!" Flint said as he laughed. Brock chuckled.  
  
"Lunch is ready, everybody!" Suzie said as she walked into the dining room. She had 13 boxes stacked on top of each other, each containing a bowl of hot tomato soup, one slice of bread, a little plate of butter, and a spoon and a knife.  
  
"The preparation is stupendous, Suzie! Where did you learn to box food like that?" Misty asked as Suzie laid one down before her.  
  
"Only from the best big brother in the world! Please, eat and enjoy!" Suzie said as she finished passing out all the boxes and sat down.  
  
Lunch held many conversations, but the biggest one was where Ash, Misty, Brock and Yuri were headed.  
  
"It's a place called Banto. We have to fly to Vermilion City and figure out how to get to Banto from there." Ash explained.  
  
"That's nice. What are you going to be doing there?" Flint asked.  
  
"Well, apparently there have been some recent kidnappings of Professors all throughout Kanto and Johto, and Professor Oak believes that they are being taken to the new Team Rocket headquarters in Banto. So we have to travel to find the headquarters." Brock said.  
  
"Well, good for you, Brock." Flint said as he slurped his soup.  
  
~Later in the evening~  
  
"Thanks for lunch and dinner, Dad!" Brock said as he walked away from his home in the Pewter City gym.  
  
"Come by anytime, Brock! Same goes for you, Ash, Misty and Yuri! Have fun on your journey!" Flint said as Brock and Yuri hopped on Moltres and Ash and Misty hopped on Ho-Oh.  
  
"Bye bye, Brock!" 8 girl's and 8 boy's voices called.  
  
"Bye, everybody!" Ash, Misty, Brock and Yuri said as Moltres and Ho- Oh took of in the direction of Vermillion City.  
  
"You're father's nice, Brock. And I must say that Suzie is an excellent chef." Yuri said as they rode Moltres into the star-light black sky.  
  
"Well, thank you. I'm a pretty good cook, too." Brock bragged.  
  
Over on Ho-Oh, Misty couldn't stop starring at the stars.  
  
"What are you looking at, Misty?" Ash's voice asked from behind her.  
  
"Oh, nothing. Just seeing the stars and remembering how beautiful they were the first time I saw them. I couldn't believe that something so beautiful and small could just hang in the sky without falling. I would always reach my hand out and try to grab a handful." Misty recalled. Ash then looked at the stars, and tried to remember the first time he saw stars.  
  
"My father used to tell me that stars were every Pokemon's souls that would watch over everything. He used to say that when a Pokemon died, that a star would burn out and fall to Earth." Ash said. "...I don't remember my father..."  
  
"I never had a father or a mother. They died when I was little. Ever since then, my sisters have taken care of me. That's one of the reasons I needed to get out and journey for a while. I had no idea that it would be 6 years worth of traveling, though." Misty said. She felt 2 arms wrap around her stomach, and looked back to see Ash's smiling face. She blushed a little bit, and looked back at the stars.  
  
Ash looked at Misty's face. He could see the reflection of the stars in her cerulean-blue eyes. She sighed and let her go.  
  
'What am I doing? How do I know if she even likes me like that?' Ash thought to himself as he closed his eyes. He began to fall asleep, taking one last looks at the stars. He took in the night air and fell asleep.  
  
~The Next Morning~  
  
"Ash, wake up. We're above Saffron City now. We're almost to Vermilion City." Misty's voice calmly said as Ash felt something shake him. He slowly opened his eyes, and saw the bright sun shinning down on them. He sat up, stretched and yawned.  
  
"'Morning, Misty. Man, am I hungry!" Ash said.  
  
"What else is new...? Anyway, we're almost to Vermilion City." Misty said as she turned around as looked forward.  
  
"Ho-Oh, start flying down! Moltres, follow her!" Yuri commanded. "Well, good morning, Ash! Glad to see that you're finally awake!"  
  
"Yeah, thanks, Yuri. Are we almost there?" Ash called over to Moltres. He then felt Ho-Oh stop flying and watched Yuri jump down off Moltres.  
  
"You figure it out." Yuri said as she winked at Ash.  
  
"Okay, now that we're here, how do we get to Banto?" Misty asked as Ash helped her down off Ho-Oh.  
  
"I don't know. Moltres, Ho-Oh, return!" Yuri said as she called back her two, tired fire Pokemon. "You guys deserve a good rest. Thanks for getting us here!"  
  
"Well, why don't we try to call the Professor? Maybe he could help us." Brock suggested.  
  
"Good idea." Ash said as he took out his PokeGear and pressed some buttons to get Professor Oak's phone number.  
  
"Hello, Professor Oak's Lab in Pallet Town. This is Tracey, how can I help you?" Tracey's voice said through the speaker in the PokeGear.  
  
"Hey, Tracey! Is the Professor in?" Ash asked.  
  
"Oh, hey Ash. Could you hold on for a second? He's feeding the field Pokemon. I'll go get him." Tracey said as he put the phone down on what sounded like a table. A few seconds later, Professor Oak began to talk.  
  
"Hello, Ash. Are you in Vermilion City now?" Professor Oak asked.  
  
"Yeah, Professor, we are. Now how are we supposed to get to Banto?" Ash asked.  
  
"Are you near some docks?" Professor Oak asked. Ash looked around, and saw some empty docks except one which had what looked like a cruise ship at it.  
  
"Yeah, but they're all empty. Professor, what does this have to do with anything?" Ash asked with annoyance.  
  
"Do you see that cruise ship? That's your transportation to Banto. Some gentlemen I know said you could use the ship to get to Banto, and all you have to do is tell them your names." Professor Oak explained. Misty and Yuri gasped, and their eyes began to twinkle. Brock grinned, and Ash smiled.  
  
"Thanks, Professor! We'll call you when we're in Banto." Ash said as he hung up and put his PokeGear back into his pocket. He began to run after Misty, Yuri and Brock, who had a head start toward the ship.  
  
~~Next chapter: Ash, Misty, Brock and Yuri are on the ship called the S.S. Oak, sailing toward their destination, Banto! How will their ship ride go? And what's going on between Ash and Misty? Will there be romance on the ship? Stay tuned to find out! 


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Pokemon, except the ones I made up (you'll know which ones they are). So, read and enjoy! Don't forget to review!!!  
  
"Good afternoon, sir. Do you work on this ship?" Ash asked a sailor who was standing by the gate of the cruise ship that was to be Ash, Misty, Brock and Yuri's transportation.  
  
"Yeah, what about it?" the sailor replied sternly.  
  
"Well, Professor Oak said that this is our ride to Banto. I'm Ash Ketchum, and these are my friends Misty, Brock and Yuri." Ash explained.  
  
"Oh, well in that case, you can go onboard. Professor Oak said to let some kids on the ship for some important reason." the sailor said as he moved out of the way to let Ash, Misty, Brock and Yuri on. When everybody was onboard, he looked up at a tower, and began to flail his arms in the air, as some sort of signal to set sail.  
  
"Wow, this ship is beautiful!" Misty said as her eyes began to glimmer.  
  
"No kidding! Let's go find a pool, Misty!" Yuri said as she broke Misty out of her trance and began to look for a pool area.  
  
"I'm so hungry… Can we go find some food?" Ash asked Brock.  
  
"Dinner is being served as we speak, sir. Would you care to follow me to the dining area?" a man in a suit asked as he began to walk forward toward a big room with a large table and many, many smaller tables. On the long table were trays and platters full of food, and goblets full of drinks. Ash and Brock stared at the table with open mouths.  
  
"So... much... food!!!" Ash drooled as he ran to the table and began stuffing his face.  
  
"That's where you guys have been! We've been looking all over for you!" Misty said as she and Yuri walked into the dining room.  
  
"What's the rush?" Brock asked with his mouth full of food.  
  
"They have everything on this ship! It's so cool! I don't think I could ever thank the Professor enough for this." Yuri said as she sat down at a table with Misty. They both had some salad, mini loafs of French bread and champagne for dinner.  
  
"Hey, Ash? After dinner, do you guys want to go for a swim?" Misty asked as she finished chewing a piece of lettuce with some low-fat ranch dressing on it. She put her fork on her napkin and took a sip from the goblet of champagne. Ash and Brock both walked to the table with plates and goblets of water.  
  
"Sure, why not." Ash said as he began to eat his dinner. He looked over at Brock, who nodded in agreement.  
  
"Hopefully you guys brought your bathing suits?" Yuri asked as she took a bite out of her French bread. Ash looked at Brock again, who just swallowed his food. Misty and Yuri both knew what that meant.  
  
"Let me call the Professor. I'll see if he can send them over." Yuri said as she took out her PokeGear. She called the Professor, who answered the phone.  
  
"Hello, this is the Pokemon Lab in Pallet Town, Professor Oak speaking." Professor Oak's voice greeted.  
  
"Hey, Professor! This is Yuri." Yuri greeted in a cheerful voice.  
  
"Yuri? Are you guys already in Banto?" Professor Oak asked.  
  
"No, not yet. We have a favor to ask you. Do you think there's anyway to send Ash and Brock's swim trunks to the ship?" Yuri asked with curiosity.  
  
"Well, the only way I can think of is to trade 2 Pokemon, and make my Pokemon wear the trunks. Will that be okay?" Professor Oak suggested. Yuri looked over at Ash and Brock, who had food hanging out of their mouths. They just stared at her with no expression on their face.  
  
"Uh... yeah, that'll be fine, Professor. Misty and I will get our Pokemon ready." Yuri said as she began to walk away from the table.  
  
"Okay! Let me call Mrs. Ketchum and tell her. I think Brock left his trunks at their house, I'm not sure. Be ready to transport your Pokemon at about 9:00, okay?" Professor Oak said as he hung up without waiting for a reply or a good-bye.  
  
"Well, okay... bye, Professor..." Yuri said to a busy signal before she hung up. "Okay, you heard what the Professor said. Misty, choose a Pokemon to trade."  
  
"Right. I already have one... my Psyduck!" Misty said as she got his PokeBall out of her red bag.  
  
"And I'll trade my..." Yuri thought aloud. "I guess my Flareon."  
  
"Bye, guys! We'll be right back!" Misty said as she and Yuri walked out of the room toward their cabin to transport Psyduck and Flareon.  
  
~Later that evening~  
  
"Come on, Misty! Ash and Brock are probably already ready!" Yuri said as she waited impatiently outside the bathroom of their cabin. She had changed into her bikini before Misty, and was wrapping a towel around her black bikini with red flames on it.  
  
"Hold on, Yuri! If I know Ash, he's not even half-way done yet." Misty reassured through the other side of the door as she put both straps on top her shoulders. She was wearing a light blue bikini with darker blue bubbles all over. She walked out of the bathroom and grabbed her towel with a giant Vaporeon on it. She looked at Yuri's towel, which had a big Flareon on it, and smiled.  
  
"Let's go already!" Yuri rushed.  
  
Over in the boy's room, Brock was in the bathroom, putting on his swim trunks, which were a dark green like his vest.  
  
"Are you almost done in there, Brock?" Ash asked, waiting to change into his black trunks.  
  
"Almost, Ash. I bet you're just rushing to see Yuri in her bikini, aren't ya?" Brock joked.  
  
"No, I just want to go swimming! I haven't been swimming in a while!" Ash said. There was a knock on their door, and since Ash was closest, he answered.  
  
"See, Yuri, I told you he wouldn't be ready yet." Misty said as if she and Yuri had made a bet. Ash looked at Misty, and saw her Vaporeon towel over her. He then looked over at Yuri, and saw her Flareon towel.  
  
"Cool towels, you guys." Ash complimented as Brock opened the bathroom door. "Finally!"  
  
"So, are you ready, Brock?" Yuri asked.  
  
"As ready as I'll ever be!" Brock answered. Ash quickly came out of the bathroom, grabbed his towel, and began to run down the hall to the pool.  
  
"Hey, Ash! Wait up!" Misty's voice called from behind him as he continued running. She began laughing, which made everybody else start to laugh.  
  
"Hey, Brock! How about a little race!" Ash called back behind him to Brock, who was 3rd in the line.  
  
"Sure! I'm gonna win, though, so don't start crying!" Brock said as he ran up and passed Ash.  
  
"I don't think so!" Ash said as he caught up with Brock.  
  
"Boys..." Misty and Yuri sighed with sweatdrops at the same time.  
  
~Deck area~  
  
"There's the pool. Let's go!" Ash said as he pointed forward toward the pool, located on the northern part of the ship.  
  
"Not if I get there first, Ash!" Brock called from behind Ash as he raced ahead and jumped into the pool.  
  
"Way to go, Brock! You won!" Yuri called as she and Misty reached the pool last. They both put their towels on the ground, and jumped in after Brock and Ash. Yuri jumped in before Misty, who had to take her side pony- tail down.  
  
Ash got out of the pool silently while Misty was fixing her hair, and walked around behind her. He put his arms around her stomach again, and ran toward the pool, while Misty began screaming. They both splashed Yuri and Brock, and started to swim back to the surface.  
  
"Ash, what was that for?!" Misty shouted, almost angry. 'Why am I yelling at him? I know he was doing it just for fun. I mean, it's almost impossible to stay completely mad at the guy!'  
  
"Aw, geez, calm down, Misty! You really don't know the definition of fun, do you?" Ash asked as he brushed his hair away from his face so it wouldn't stick.  
  
"Sorry, Ash. In that case..." Mist began as she took Ash's head and held it under water. Ash escaped her grasp and swam under her. He came back up to the surface with Misty sitting on his shoulders. All Misty, Ash, Yuri and Brock could do was laugh.  
  
~Later that night~  
  
Misty had finished putting on her pajamas, which was a light blue short tank top and dark blue short shorts, and let Yuri have the bathroom so she could shower and get ready for bed.  
  
"Hey, Yuri, I'm gonna go outside for a while! Bye!" Misty said as she opened the door to leave.  
  
"Okay, bye! I'll be waiting here." Yuri said as she turned on the shower.  
  
Walking down the hall, Misty began to think about how long she had known Ash.  
  
'It's been, what, 6 years already? I had no idea that traveling with Ash would be so great! I mean, I only meant to follow him until he paid me back for my bike; in fact, half the time I forget all about it! After all, it IS just a stupid bike. I could always buy another one... if I had any money...'  
  
Misty had no idea that she had reached the deck of the ship. She had been thinking so much that her body kept moving forward, even though it felt like she was just standing in one place the whole time. She began to walk in the direction of the pool, when she heard a voice.  
  
"...I mean, we've been friends for 6 years... why shouldn't I feel this way by now? It's only human..."  
  
Misty quickly recognized the voice as Ash's. But, could he have been talking about... her? She strained her ears while hiding in the shadows to hear more.  
  
"But, Ash, do you even know if she likes you in the same way? Are your feelings for her mutual?" Brock's voice asked.  
  
"I have no idea. I've been wanting to ask her for so long, but I'm just too nervous." Ash's voice replied.  
  
"You are in quite a fix, my friend..." Brock tried to comfort. "Well, I'm going back inside. G'night, Ash." Brock said as he began to walk toward his cabin. Misty took a step out of the shadow from which she was hiding, and quickly realized that maybe he didn't want to see her then. She sighed, turned around, and began to walk back to her cabin.  
  
~~Next chapter: Ash, Misty, Brock and Yuri finally reach Banto! Will they find any information about the disappearing Professors from Kanto and Johto, and who will be next to be kidnapped? To find out, read more! 


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Pokemon, except the ones I made up (you'll know which ones). So, read and enjoy! Don't forget to review!!!  
  
"Misty, wake up. We're almost to Banto!" Ash's voice called into Misty's ear. She slowly opened her eyes, and sat up in her bed.  
  
"What time is it?" Misty asked while she yawned at the same time. She looked over at the clock close to her bed, and read the numbers out loud. "9-h-1-1? What in the world does that mean?"  
  
"Misty, you're holding the clock upside down. It says 11:46. Now get out of bed, because we have to pack all of our things." Ash said as he closed the door behind him and walked to his cabin.  
  
"Okay, okay... oh, man, even Yuri isn't awake yet!" Misty said as she stood up out of her bed and stretched. She walked over to Yuri's bed, shook her awake, and walked outside of her room.  
  
"Good morning, Misty! How did you sleep?" Brock asked as he walked past Misty.  
  
"Fine. It took me a while to get to sleep, though." Misty replied.  
  
"What was wrong? Were you not tired or something?" Brock asked.  
  
"No, I was just up late, thinking about things..." Misty said. The door opened behind her, and out came Yuri with messy light blue hair. She was wearing a pink short t-shirt with light blue short shorts. She yawned and stretched.  
  
"Morning, Yuri! Ready to go to Banto?" Brock greeted.  
  
"Can I shower first, please?" Yuri asked as she walked back into the room and closed the door behind her.  
  
"What's with her?" Brock asked in confusion.  
  
"I have no idea. Oh, well! Let's go get some breakfast!" Misty said as she took Brock by the arm and dragged him to the dining room.  
  
'Ladies and gentlemen... oh, I'm sorry... Ash, Misty, Brock and Yuri, we are now at the port in Strawberry City in Banto! You may leave anytime!' the captain's voice called over the P.A. system.  
  
"Finally! Let's get going, already!" Ash said as he put on his Official Pokemon League cap. He grabbed his backpack, and began to walk off the ship. Misty grabbed her red bag, and followed him. Brock put his big teal bag on his back, and followed. Yuri made sure she had all 6 of her PokeBalls, and followed everybody in last.  
  
"Well, where to first?" Ash asked as Yuri walked up to the group. They all looked around, and saw a slightly-busy little town.  
  
"Let's find a Pokemon Center. We may need to find out some information about Banto, and who better to ask than Nurse Joy!" Brock said as he led the group down a busy street full of shops.  
  
After a few minutes of getting lost, Ash decided to ask somebody where the Pokemon Center was.  
  
"Excuse me, sir, can you help us? You see, we're from Kanto, and we've never been here before, and we don't know where the Pokemon Center is. Can you point us in the direction of the Pokemon Center?" Ash asked.  
  
"Kanto? I've never heard of that. Anyway, the Pokemon Center is just over there." the man said as he pointed over the near-by mountains.  
  
"You mean over the mountains?" Ash asked.  
  
"Yes! Aren't you just a smart little boy?" the man said with an attitude as he patted Ash's head as a sort of threat.  
  
"Smarter than you'll ever be, jerk!" Ash said as he grabbed the man's hand and shoved it off of his hair. He got an angry look on his face.  
  
"You want to start something, kid?" the man threatened.  
  
"Okay, break it up, you two!" a familiar voice said. Brock, Misty, Yuri, Ash and the man looked to see who it was. It was Officer Jenny, only with a pink uniform on instead of a blue one. She also had darker skin.  
  
"Wow… Officer Jenny sure does look different." Yuri noticed.  
  
"And a lot better than the other Jennies, too. Wow, I already love Banto!" Brock said as he ran over to Officer Jenny.  
  
"Young man, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you down to the police station. Come with me." Officer Jenny commanded to Ash.  
  
"But, it wasn't my fault! It was all this guy's fault! I was just asking him how me and my friends get to the Pokemon Center!" Ash tried to explain.  
  
"You mean this man right here?" Officer Jenny asked as she pointed to the man that threatened Ash. "That's impossible. This man is the chief of police in Strawberry City."  
  
"But, its true, Officer Jenny! We saw the whole thing." Misty argued.  
  
"Might I say… that you're lookin… so gorsh darn purdy today, Jenny…" the man said as he slurred his words all around. Ash noticed a bottle in the man's right hand.  
  
"Chief, what are you talking about?" Jenny asked.  
  
"Uh, ma'am, I think that's the reason…" Ash said as he tugged on Jenny's sleeve and pointed to the man's right hand.  
  
"Chief, what is the meaning of this?" Jenny shouted, catching the attention of the people around them in the busy street.  
  
"Meaninin of what….Jenny?" the man's words slurred again.  
  
"Have you been drinking, chief?" Jenny asked in confusion. "I'm afraid I'm just going to have to arrest you, chief."  
  
"Arost me? What did I didn't do?" the man asked as drool came out of his mouth. Jenny put the handcuffs around the chief's wrists, and led him to her motorcycle.  
  
"Young man, you come with me." Jenny commanded to Ash again. "And bring your friends, too."  
  
Down at the police station, as Jenny steered the chief of police inside a prison cell, all the officers looked at her as if she was playing a prank. Jenny just ignored their looks, and walked back to Ash and his friends.  
  
"Thank you very much, young man. What is your name?" Jenny asked as she sat down at her desk.  
  
"My name is Ash. These are my friends Misty, Brock and Yuri." Ash introduced everybody.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Ash. And I must say, without your help today, we never would've caught the chief. There have been news reports that somebody has been causing a lot of trouble lately. Plus, the chief hadn't been in the office in a long time." Jenny explained.  
  
"Oh, well you're very welcome!" Ash said. "Hey, Jenny? Are you related to the Jennies in Kanto and Johto?"  
  
"I've never heard of Kanto or Johto. Are they close by?" Jenny asked.  
  
"You mean you've never heard of Kanto OR Johto?" everybody asked at the same time.  
  
"No, sorry. Well, thank you again! Have a great day!" Jenny said as she took a stack of papers on her desk and started to read and sign them.  
  
"Well, let's start up those mountains to the Pokemon Center, I guess." Ash said as everybody walked out of the police station.  
  
"The Pokemon Center over the mountains? That's totally and completely wrong!" a girl's voice said as she over-heard their conversation.  
  
"You mean it's not over the mountains? Well, can you help us and tell us where it is?" Yuri asked as they walked up to the girl.  
  
"Yeah, the Pokemon Center is just straight along the path. When you come to your first right, turn. It's at the end of that path." the girl instructed. "But since I have to go there myself, I guess I'll lead the way!"  
  
"Thanks! I'm Ash, and these are my friends Misty, Brock and Yuri." Ash said as he shook the girl's hand.  
  
"And I'm Jessica. Nice to meet you!" Jessica introduced. "So I take it you're a Pokemon trainer?"  
  
"Yeah, we all are. Maybe later we could have a battle." Ash suggested.  
  
"Sure, I don't see why not. I just got done beating the gym leader here. Her name is Kristan. She's got mixed-types of Pokemon, but most of them are Baby Pokemon." Jessica explained.  
  
"You mean there's a gym here? Wow, I didn't expect one until we reached the second city, at least." Ash said. "Well, after we get done at the Pokemon Center, I want to fight her."  
  
"Okay, sure!" Jessica said. Ash noticed Jessica was wearing a lot of bandanas. There was one on her head, one on her forehead, one wrapped around each of her arms, and one wrapped around her pants on her right ankle.  
  
"You like bandanas or something?" Ash asked as they continued walking down the path to the Pokemon Center.  
  
"Yeah. I'm an apprentice for somebody who makes bandanas. These are all the ones I've made so far. I especially like this one." Jessica said as she pointed to the one on her ankle.  
  
"Cool! That sounds like fun." Misty chirped in. Ash had forgotten that Misty, Brock and Yuri had been following them.  
  
"Yeah, it's a blast! I'll take you guys there later." Jessica invited.  
  
"Great!" Ash, Misty, Brock and Yuri said at the same time.  
  
When they reached the Pokemon Center, the front doors slid open. They saw a nurse in a green uniform standing behind the front desk.  
  
"Good afternoon! Welcome to the Pokemon Center in Strawberry City! How can I help you?" Nurse Joy greeted.  
  
"Nurse Joy looks different, too." Yuri noticed again.  
  
"Could you heal our Pokemon?" Ash asked as he took all 6 of his PokeBalls off his belt and placed them on the counter. He then set his Pikachu next to them.  
  
"Sure thing! If anybody else needs their Pokemon healed, just put them into these trays." Joy said as she laid out 4 more trays. Misty decided to heal her Pokemon, so she put all of her PokeBalls into the holders. Brock, Yuri and Jessica did the same.  
  
"Just one moment." Joy said as she took all the trays and walked into another room. Ash decided to call Professor Oak on one of the phones there.  
  
"Maybe I should get a new guide book for Banto, also." Brock said as he took one of the guide books from a holder which had many more. Next to it was a sign that read 'Banto Guide Books! Just $2.00'  
  
"Wow, two dollars is a lot for a guide book." Misty said aloud.  
  
"Okay, you're Pokemon are healed! Joy said as she came back to the waiting room with all 5 trays of PokeBalls. Ash hung up the phone and walked back to the group. "Thank you for choosing the Pokemon Center of Strawberry City! Have a great day!" Joy said as she bowed from behind the front desk.  
  
"Excuse me, Nurse Joy? I'd like to buy one of these guide books, if I may." Brock said as he held up the blue covered guide book.  
  
"Okay, that'll be $2.00, please." Joy said as she took the two dollars from Brock's hand. She put it in a little box. "Blissey, here's some more money to go to the bank!"  
  
Two Blissey came out of the room where Nurse Joy just was, and took the box.  
  
"Have a great day!" Nurse Joy bowed again as everybody left.  
  
~~Next chapter: Ash, Misty, Brock, Yuri and their new friend Jessica go to the Pokemon Gym in Strawberry City to challenge Kristan, the gym leader. How will everything go? Will Ash manage to get his first Banto badge? Stay tuned to find out! 


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Pokemon, except the ones I made up (you'll know which ones). So, read and enjoy! Don't forget to review!!!  
  
"Where is the Pokemon Gym, already?" Ash asked as he, Misty, Brock, Yuri and Jessica walked in the busy street.  
  
"It's close. In fact, here it is!" Jessica said as everybody stopped in front of a large building with little baby Pokemon pictures all over the front.  
  
"I cannot believe that we didn't see this big building before..." Yuri sighed. Everybody laughed, and started to walk up the front doors.  
  
Inside the big, pink gym, the group found stuffed animals that looked like Baby Pokemon everywhere.  
  
"This is making me sick..." Ash groaned.  
  
"Hello, there! My name is Kristan. I don't think I've ever seen you here before, have I?" a girl with long, brown hair asked. She was wearing a light pink short shirt with one strap over her left shoulder and light blue pants with black platforms. She had a necklace with a cross on it, and she was holding two of the stuffed animals which looked like a Teddiursa and an Eevee.  
  
"I'm new here. My name is Ash, and I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!" Ash challenged as he walked forward.  
  
"Very well. Follow me!" Kristan said as she began to walk down a light pink colored hall. When they stopped walking, they stood before a brown door.  
  
"This is the battling room?" Ash asked.  
  
"Yes! Come on, let's battle!" Kristan said as she opened the door and walked inside.  
  
The paint scheme in the room was just the same as her clothes: light pink and blue. The only difference was that the field looked like it had been drawn by chalk.  
  
"It's a 3 on 3 Pokemon battle for the Cute Badge, okay?" Kristan said as she dug around her stuffed animals and pulled out 3 PokeBalls.  
  
"Sound fine to me! Go, Noctowl!" Ash commanded as he threw a PokeBall onto the chalk field.  
  
"Go, Cleffa!" Kristan shouted as she threw her PokeBall into the air, revealing a Cleffa.  
  
"Cleffa? What's that?" Ash asked as he dug his PokeGear out of his pocket and pointed it to the small pink Pokemon.  
  
'Cleffa. Because of its unusual, star-like silhouette, people believe that it came here on a meteor. When numerous meteors illuminate the sky, sighting of Cleffa strangely increase. It evolves into Clefairy through taming.'  
  
"Cleffa, use Pound!" Kristan instructed. Cleffa jumped high up into the air, and dropped back to the field, hitting Noctowl hard in the process.  
  
"Noctowl, use Take Down!" Ash commanded. Noctowl flew out of the sky, aiming for Cleffa. It hit Cleffa, but Noctowl was hit with recoil.  
  
"Cleffa, use Sweet Kiss!" Kristan shouted as she pointed at Noctowl. Cleffa ran over to Noctowl, who had landed on the ground, and gave it a kiss. Noctowl then became confused.  
  
"No, Noctowl! Okay, try using Fly!" Ash commanded. Noctowl seemed to listen, and flew into the air.  
  
"Oh, no! Noctowl is too high to attack. Cleffa, use Sing!" Kristan ordered. Cleffa began to sing a song, but with no effect.  
  
"Go, Noctowl! FLY!" Ash shouted. Noctowl flew down from the sky, aiming at Cleffa. As it flew down toward the field, Cleffa began to shake. Noctowl hit Cleffa, causing it to faint.  
  
"Cleffa, return. Go, Elekid!" Kristan said as she called back her Cleffa and sent out her electric Pokemon. Once again, Ash pointed his PokeGear to the Pokemon.  
  
'Elekid. It rotates its arms to generate electricity, but it tires easily, so it charges up only a little bit. Even in the most vicious storm, this Pokemon plays happily if thunder rumbles in the sky.'  
  
"Elekid, use Thunder Punch!" Kristan commanded. Elekid rotated his arms 3 times and gathered electric energy into his right hand, which was formed into a fist. Elekid rushed to Noctowl and punched it in the stomach. Noctowl flew backwards toward Ash, and fainted.  
  
"Noctowl, return! Go, Bayleef!" Ash said as he threw his second PokeBall onto the chalk field, releasing his Bayleef. "Bayleef, use Body Slam on Elekid!"  
  
"Bay bay!" Bayleef cried as she jumped over Elekid and fell on top of him. Bayleef then walked back to her side of the field and waited for Elekid to make a move.  
  
"Elekid, are you okay?" Kristan called as Elekid was trying its hardest to stand up. When it stood on both feet, it awaited its next command. "Good! Use Thunderbolt now!"  
  
Elekid began to rotate his arms again, only at a more rapid pace than the last time. Then the electric energy moved up to the outlet on top of his head, and released a giant bolt of lightning, aiming for Bayleef.  
  
"Bayleef, dodge it and use Vine Whip!" Ash commanded. Bayleef jumped out of the way just in time for the lightning bolt to hit the ground, and released two vines from her neck. The vines wrapped around Elekid, and Bayleef lifted him up in the air, and slammed him back down. She continued this strategy three more times, causing Elekid to faint.  
  
"Elekid, return. Go, Miltank!" Kristan shouted as she released her third PokeBall onto the field. For the last time, Ash got his PokeGear out and pointed it to Miltank.  
  
'Miltank. Its milk is packed with nutrition, making it the ultimate beverage for the sick or weary. If it has just had a baby, the milk it produces contains much more nutrition than usual.'  
  
"Miltank, use Rollout!" Kristan commanded. Miltank rolled up into a ball and began to roll across the field at a high speed, hitting Bayleef and causing it to launch into the air and fall back down to earth. "Great, Miltank! Go around and hit Bayleef again!" Miltank didn't stop to take a break; instead, it just went around Kristan and made its way back to Bayleef, only faster than the first time.  
  
"Bayleef, dodge it!" Ash tried to instruct, but it was too late. Miltank hit Bayleef, launching it into the air once again. When Bayleef landed, it had fainted.  
  
"Bayleef, return. Go, Bulbasaur!" Ash called out one of his first Pokemon, Bulbasaur. "Bulbasaur, use Solar Beam!" Bulbasaur began to gather energy into the seed on its back, giving Miltank some time to attack.  
  
"Miltank, use Rollout!" Kristan commanded as Miltank stopped in front of her. Miltank then rolled up into a ball once again and began rolling at Bulbasaur.  
  
"Bulbasaur, jump into the air, then use Solar Beam!" Ash instructed. Bulbasaur jumped into the air before Miltank could hit him, and aimed the top of his seed at the ground to Miltank. He then released a bright beam to the ground below him, and hit Miltank.  
  
"Miltank? Are you okay, Miltank?" Kristan asked her Pokemon. Everybody looked to the field to see where Miltank was, and saw it had fainted onto the ground. "Miltank, return. Well done, Ash!"  
  
"That sure was a great battle, Here's your reward, Ash!" Kristan said as she and Ash, Misty, Brock, Yuri and Jessica stepped outside the gym's front doors. She held out her hand, which had a strawberry-shaped red badge in it.  
  
"Thanks, Kristan. If this was the first badge, I don't think I want to imagine the next gym!" Ash said.  
  
"If you're looking for the next town, just go over the mountains and go east. Just follow the path, and you'll arrive in Blueberry City. The leader there is Bobbi. She's a Psychic Pokemon trainer. Good luck, Ash!" Kristan said as she walked back into the gym.  
  
"Well, do you guys want to sleep over at my house tonight?" Jessica asked as she noticed the sun was beginning to set behind the mountains.  
  
"Thanks for the offer, but I think we have to go now. You see, there's something important we have to find out, and we should get going. Thanks for everything, Jessica!" Ash tried to explain.  
  
"I understand, and you're welcome. Here, take these with you." Jessica said as she took off her bandanas that were on her ankle, forehead, left arm and right arm.  
  
"But, aren't these important to you, Jessica?" Yuri asked as she grabbed the red and white one. Misty grabbed a blue and white one, Brock grabbed a gray one, and Ash took the green one.  
  
"Yeah, but I thought you guys would need them more than me. Well, I guess you guys should go now. We'll have that battle later, Ash." Jessica said as she held out her hand.  
  
"It's a deal." Ash said as he reached out his hand and shook Jessica's.  
  
"Well, good-bye, everybody!" Jessica waved good-bye as Ash, Misty, Yuri and Brock walked toward the mountains in the distance.  
  
Once outside Strawberry City, Ash had put the Cute Badge in his jacket on the upper left corner.  
  
"It looks good there, I must say!" Ash gloated.  
  
"This is how he usually is when he wins his first badge..." Misty whispered into Yuri's ear.  
  
~~Next chapter: Ash has gotten his first badge in Banto, and next is the Blueberry City badge. But, will Ash, Misty, Brock and Yuri ever find Blueberry City, or will they get lost in the mountains? To find out, keep reading! 


	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Pokemon, except the ones I made up (you'll know which ones). So, read and enjoy! Don't forget to review!!!  
  
"Wow, these mountains are so beautiful!" Misty said as she looked up at the very high mountains.  
  
"We've seen mountains before, Misty. I don't see what the big deal is." Ash muttered under his breath.  
  
"The big deal is that we always get lost in mountains. But this time, Yuri has the map, so you can't read it and get us lost." Misty pointed out.  
  
"What, does Ash get you guys lost often or something?" Yuri asked.  
  
"Ash got us lost in woods and mountains, mostly..." Misty sighed.  
  
"Okay, that's enough of that conversation!" Ash stopped as he grinned. "Hey, I'm only human, I make mistakes..."  
  
Somebody's PokeGear phone began. Everybody stopped walking and got their own out from wherever they had them. It turns out it was Yuri's PokeGear.  
  
"Hello, Yuri speaking." Yuri greeted the mysterious person.  
  
"Hey, little sis! How are things with Ash, Misty and Brock?" Kuro's voice said over the other end.  
  
"Just fine. We made it to Banto already! Plus, Ash just won his first Banto badge. Pretty cool, huh?" Yuri asked.  
  
"If you say so... Anyway, me and Chikara are in Banto, too. Maybe you guys would like to meet us somewhere for a late night dinner! How about it?" Kuro asked. Yuri looked over at Ash, Misty and Brock, who all agreed to eating.  
  
"Sure, we'd be glad to! Where would you like to go?" Yuri asked.  
  
"I don't know. How about me and Chikara fly over to the mountains where you guys are, and we can decide there. Sound okay to you?" Kuro asked.  
  
"Well, okay, but do you guys know where we are? I mean what mountain range we're at?" Yuri asked.  
  
"Chikara's looking at a map right now, and he says that you guys are at the Miasma Mountain range. Uh, oh..." Kuro said.  
  
"What's wrong?" Yuri asked.  
  
"Don't you know what miasma means?" Kuro asked.  
  
"Is that some kind of Pokemon?" Ash asked with stupidity.  
  
"No, Ash, miasma isn't a Pokemon. Miasma means 'a poisonous atmosphere'." Kuro explained. Brock got out his new guidebook, scanned through the pages, and stopped.  
  
"It says in the guidebook that the Miasma Mountains have a very likely chance of poisoning somebody. It also says that Pokemon that have the 'Poison Powder' attack will fly over a group of people or Pokemon and use that attack on them. We have to get out of here!" Brock said as he quickly put the guidebook back into his bag. Everybody then heard the flutter of wings nearby.  
  
"Kuro, I'll call you back..." Yuri said as she hung up without saying good-bye. Ash, Misty, Brock and Yuri looked around with caution, and tried to increase their hearing abilities for anymore wings. Suddenly, behind Misty, a group of Beedrill and Butterfree came flying up into the air.  
  
"Everybody, use your bandanas and run back to Strawberry City!" Ash commanded as he grabbed his green bandana that he had been storing in his pocket and covered his nose and mouth. Yuri fished out her red and white one and did the same, as did Brock.  
  
"Misty, what's wrong? Can't you find your bandana?" Yuri asked as she noticed Brock and Ash had already started running back to the city.  
  
"No, and I just had it, too!" Misty said as she used her hand to cover her mouth only. She turned around and looked at the Beedrill and Butterfree, who continued to use Poison Powder, and suddenly fainted.  
  
"Misty? Misty, get up! We have to get back to the city!" Yuri said. She tied her bandana around the back of her head so it covered her nose and mouth, and picked Misty up off the ground. She put one of Misty's arms around her neck, lifted her up to her feet, and began to run after Ash and Brock.  
  
~Back at Strawberry City~  
  
"Where are Yuri and Misty?" Ash asked as he stopped at the first streetlight of Strawberry City. He took his bandana off and put it back in his jacket.  
  
"I don't know... they were right behind me, I think..." Brock panted as he put his bandana back. He sat down on a nearby bench, and took a deep breath. Ash continued to stand where he was.  
  
"Do you think they breathed in the poison?" Ash asked with concern after a few minutes of waiting.  
  
"I don't know. Should we go back up there and look for them?" Brock asked.  
  
"You stay here and have an ambulance ready, just in case. I'll be back soon." Ash said as he took his bandana back out and covered his nose and mouth with it. Just to be sure it was tight and secure, he tied it around the back of his head.  
  
"Good luck, Ash." Brock said as he ran to the Pokemon Center.  
  
~Miasma Mountains~  
  
Yuri looked behind her to see if the Beedrill and Butterfree were still flying after her. She was moving too slow, carrying Misty, and she couldn't run.  
  
"Man, what am I gonna do?" Yuri asked herself as she continued to run as fast as she could down the path back to Strawberry City. She heard a buzzing sound getting closer and closer, and looked behind her again. It was a Beedrill, and it was gaining speed behind her.  
  
"Oh, no! Okay, what now?" Yuri asked as she tried to run and hold Misty at the same time. "Man, I DEFINITELY need to tell Misty to go on a diet when we get out of this..."  
  
The Beedrill pointed it's stingers at Yuri, and began to fly closer and closer. Yuri panicked and covered Misty's head. She then felt a sharp pain in her right arm, which she used to carry Misty. Her scream was muffled by the bandana, and she could feel tears coming to her eyes. The Beedrill had stung her, and she had been poisoned. She lost feeling in her right arm, and it felt as if it had been ripped off. When she lost feeling, she let Misty go, who continued to go down the path, just not on her feet.  
  
"Misty!" Yuri managed to scream through her pain, which suddenly came back again, stronger than the first time. Yuri stood up, still clutching her right arm, and began to run after Misty, her right arm wagging behind her. She then saw a figure with a red and white hat on running up the path, and noticed at once that it was Ash.  
  
"Ash, go get Misty!" Yuri yelled at she pointed to Misty, who had stopped rolling down the path and had been lying down.  
  
"Yuri, what happened?" Ash asked as he stopped by Yuri first.  
  
"I'll tell you later! Can you carry Misty down the path, because I got stung by a Beedrill, and I can't feel my right arm." Yuri explained.  
  
"Sure. I think those Beedrill and Butterfree flew away, so it's okay now." Ash said as he walked down to Misty. He picked her up, and flung her around onto his back. To make sure she didn't fall off, he held her wrists together, and let her dangle behind him. Yuri walked behind them.  
  
~Once again, Back at Strawberry City~  
  
"We're there, Yuri." Ash said as he stopped walking and looked around for Brock. He heard a siren wailing close by.  
  
"The poison is going through my bloodstream. Now I can't feel my right leg." Yuri said as she fell to her knees and rested on the ground.  
  
"Okay, here's the ambulance." Ash said as the wailing ambulance stopped right in front of him. The paramedics opened the back of the ambulance, and took out a stretcher. They laid Misty on top, and strapped her down. When they had Misty on the back, they ran over to Yuri.  
  
"Are you okay, miss?" one of the paramedics asked as he took her right arm and held it up.  
  
"No, I got stung by a Beedrill. I think I got poisoned." Yuri explained.  
  
"Okay, you need to come with us." the paramedic said as he helped Yuri up and walked her to the back of the ambulance. She looked behind her at Ash, and frowned. When she sat down in the ambulance, she looked at Misty, and started to cry.  
  
Ash watched the ambulance race back to the hospital until he couldn't see it or hear it anymore.  
  
'I hope Misty and Yuri are going to be okay...' Ash thought to himself. He began to get tears in his eyes, and remembered the first say him and Misty met.  
  
'That's right. I needed to get away from those Spearow, and I jumped into a big lake. Misty was sitting there, fishing for water Pokemon, but she caught me instead. And then I took her bike, promising I would return it someday, not knowing she would follow me for six years.'  
  
~At the Strawberry City hospital~  
  
"Where is she? Is she going to be okay?" Ash asked as he ran into the hospital and saw Brock sitting down in the waiting room.  
  
"If you're referring to Misty, she's in room 190, and the doctor said she's going to be fine. Yuri's in room 191, and she's doing just fine, also. Do you want to go visit them?" Brock asked. "I was waiting for you, because I knew you would want to know."  
  
"Yeah, let's go." Ash said as he ran down the hall to room 190 and 191, dodging doctors and nurses as he and Brock went.  
  
"You may visit her now, sir." a nurse said as she held the door open for Misty's room. Ash went in by himself, because Brock had been visiting Yuri.  
  
As Ash walked in, he saw Misty was wearing a hospital gown and had a needle sticking out of her left arm. He slowly walked over to her bedside, and sat down.  
  
"Misty, I'm really sorry I wasn't there to save you from being poisoned from those Beedrill and Butterfree. I feel so guilty, like all of this is my fault." Ash spoke aloud. Misty slowly opened her eyes, and looked at Ash.  
  
"None of it is your fault, Ash..." Misty said as she smiled. "It was just meant to be. God had intended for me to get poisoned at that spot, at that time. He had meant for you not to be there to protect me."  
  
"I guess you're right. Are you feeling okay?" Ash asked.  
  
"Okay, I guess. How is Yuri and Brock?" Misty asked.  
  
"They're doing just fine. In fact, would you like to see Brock now?" Ash asked as he stood up and walked to Yuri's room.  
  
"I guess so. Sure, send him in." Misty said as she sat up in the hospital bed.  
  
"Brock, you can go see Misty now." Ash said as he opened Yuri's door.  
  
"Okay, thanks." Brock said as he stood up from Yuri's bedside and walked to Misty's room.  
  
"Is she okay?" Yuri asked as Ash closed the door behind him.  
  
"Yeah, she's fine. A little frightened, but she'll be okay." Ash replied. Suddenly, Yuri's room door opened.  
  
"Yuri, are you okay?" Kuro asked as she and Chikara ran inside and stopped by her bed.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just stung by a Beedrill, but they put Antidote into my bloodstream. I can leave anytime." Yuri explained.  
  
"I'm glad..." Kuro said as she hugged her sister.  
  
"Did you get stung, Ash?" Chikara asked.  
  
"No, fortunately." Ash replied.  
  
"Attention, all hospital visitors, all visiting hours are over! You can come back tomorrow!" a doctor said over the P.A. system.  
  
"Okay, you want to leave tonight, Yuri?" Chikara asked.  
  
"Yeah, I would prefer it. You know how much I hate hospitals..." Yuri sighed as she stood up out of the hospital bed.  
  
"Okay, let's go." Kuro said as she and Chikara helped her leave.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow, Ash." Yuri said as she left with her brother and sister.  
  
~~Next chapter: Misty leaves the hospital, and Ash, Brock and Yuri are glad. But how can they get to Blueberry City without crossing the Miasma Mountains again? Stay tuned to find out! 


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven  
  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Pokemon, except the ones I made up (you'll know which ones). So, read and enjoy! Don't forget to review!!! 


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